The results are in, and we've found that the first year of our Nature4Health project has been a resounding success.

Results from the first year of the programme show that participants have seen a marked improvement in both their mental wellbeing and their daily levels of physical activity. On average, participants saw an 8 point increase on the widely-recognised 'WEMWBS*' mental wellbeing scale – that's a significant positive change. Levels of moderate physical activity – for example washing windows, or bicycling/swimming at a regular pace – increased by a whopping 164%, with walking up 48% and vigorous activity up 8%.

Nature4Health is a three year project funded by The Big Lottery's Reaching
Communities Programme to tackle health inequalities in targeted communities across The Mersey Forest. The programme provides five different evidence-based activities, from group walking to mindfulness, all taking place in a green, therapeutic environment. Sessions are targeted at both adults and children and designed to be welcoming to complete beginners.

We've worked with 13 local partners across six local authorities to support 286 participants in year one of Nature4Health.

Paul Nolan, Director, The Mersey Forest, said:

"The first year results from Nature4Health are fantastic and underline the huge role that activities in green spaces can play in boosting health and wellbeing. Behind these results are some inspirational stories of how people's lives have changed for the better. We're aiming to work with the health sector to ensure more people can get access to this kind of natural health service in the future."

Our plan for more trees and better local environment sets the standard for others to emulate, says panel of experts.

An influential publication from local environment partnership The Mersey Forest has been awarded the UNESCO UK Man and the Biosphere Urban Forum Award for Excellence.

The Mersey Forest Plan is our long term strategic vision for growing and developing local woodlands and green infrastructure, helping to make Merseyside and north Cheshire a beautiful place to live, work and play. Thanks to The Mersey Forest (a partnership of seven local authorities, the Forestry Commission, Natural England and the Environment Agency). 9 million trees have been planted in the area since 1991, transforming many derelict industrial landscapes.

The award was given by a forum of specialists involved with the environment and nature conservation in urban areas. It praises the document for its design, for its emphasis on people and organisations working together, and for how it explains the benefits to the community.

Richard Scott, Chair of the UNESCO UK Man and the Biosphere Urban Forum, gave the award to the Mersey Forest Steering Group, made up of representatives of local authorities in the area.

Richard Scott commented:"The plan is an excellent example of a regional document aimed at local communities. It's well put together, well designed and a pleasure to read and look at"

Paul Nolan, Director, The Mersey Forest, said:"We're overjoyed to receive this unexpected accolade for The Mersey Forest Plan. Our plan sets out a clear vision for a greener Merseyside and north Cheshire, and it's one that's inspired many local people and organisations. We hope this award will inspire more people to get involved and help make the plan into reality."

The forum also praised the Plan for how it has been adopted as a material consideration in local planning and supports the development control process. It's also recognised as a good example of how local authorities can work together to improve the landscapes and environments that cross boundaries.

The Plan includes a section that explains where new trees and woodlands may be planted across Merseyside and north Cheshire and sets out targets for tree coverage.

As Halloween approaches, our woodlands fill with strange, other worldly lifeforms. Neither plant nor animal, some appear almost supernatural. Tom Ferguson tells the tale of some of the scary fungi you may encounter in the woods of the Mersey Forest...

Fungi don't possess chlorophyll so unlike green plants they can't produce their own food. Instead they secrete enzymes which liquify their food source and in the process cause rot and decay. In woodlands they feed mainly on leaves and wood but that is not all. And some of what is going on is really unpleasant!

The body snatcher

It's not easy to find but occasionally you can come across a small orange club fungus with a pitted surface up to 5cm high (above). If you were to carefully dig down under the fungus you would find it is attached to the pupa or larva of a butterfly or moth.

The insect has been attacked by the fungus which mummifies it, keeping it alive long enough to feed on its body. Once the fungus has built up sufficient energy it bursts out of the insect's body to produce the club which will generate more spores. The Scarlet Caterpillar Fungus is like something out of science fiction except it's for real and living somewhere near you!

Dead men's fingers

Around the base of old and rotting tree stumps you may come across groups of black and contorted small stumpy fungi (above and top). These are Dead Man's Fingers. It's as if rotting hands are trying to escape from the soil where they have been buried.

Dead wood and twigs are usually good hunting grounds for fungi. Some of these are jelly like with lots of folds and contortions bursting out of the wood. A bright yellow one is the Yellow Brain Fungus and a darker black species is Black Witches Butter (both above).

Ghostly lights

Sometimes people report strange pale green-blue glowing lights in the woods. A cold, supernatural fire - thought to be ghosts or faeries, and often called 'foxfire'. In reality it's down to a phenomenon where some fungi glow in the dark.

The most frequent reports of glowing wood relate to honey fungus. It seems that the fungal light results when a chemical rich in phosphorus combines with oxygen in the presence of an enzyme.

The kingdom of the fungi contains all sorts of fascinating things. Take a wander through your local woodland and check them out - if you dare...

Creating a movement for natural play and learning in urban Liverpool and beyond.

On two windy days in February something unusual happened at St Vincent De Paul Catholic Primary School in the centre of Liverpool. Almost overnight, 200 trees appeared in the school grounds. The inner city school had got its own piece of forest.

The school, tucked between the bars of the Ropewalks and the hipster creative businesses of the Baltic Triangle is about as urban as it gets. So it's a pretty big deal when a crowd of parents, children and staff give up their time to plant a woodland, bringing nature into the school environment.

The marathon planting sessions were just one small part of a project by The Mersey Forest, funded by Smurfit Kappa Foundation and the Ernest Cook Trust which is aiming to embed a culture of natural play and learning in Merseyside schools. It's in response to studies like that done by the National Trust in 2014 which found that most children play outside for less than an hour a day, and the public health implications of inactive children turning into obese sedentary adults. With experts now claiming 'sitting is the new smoking', restoring active play outdoors is becoming urgent.

The largest ever England's Community Forestry Conference has taken place in Birmingham, bringing together over 80 representatives from across the forestry sector and chaired by Sir Harry Studholme, Chair of the Forestry Commission.

Woodland professionals from the Forestry Commission, Defra, the Woodland Trust, and Community Forests such as the Red Rose Forest, the Forest of Marston Vale and The Mersey Forest descended on Birmingham for a day of presentations and workshops.

Key themes of this year's conference included the urban forest with the launch of Vision for a Resilient Urban Forest by the Urban Forestry and Woodlands Advisory Committee by Jane Carlsen, chair.

Beccy Speight, Chief Executive of The Woodland Trust gave a lively presentation on the developing Charter for Trees, Woods and People which will help to unlock the potential of the UK's trees and woods, improve our lives and landscapes and celebrate the trees in our lives.

The presentations and workshops delivered at the conference reflected key issues for the forestry sector today as it adjusts to the opportunities and challenges facing our urban forests.

New trees and green spaces could be set to help grow Liverpool city region's economy thanks to the development of a cutting-edge new Green Infrastructure Prospectus for the city region.

Green Infrastructure (GI) is the green lungs and arteries provided by our woodlands, parks, street trees, rivers and canals. The new Prospectus identifies how creating carefully targeted new GI can help support new jobs and economic growth, and using a ground-breaking methodology sets out the business case for a series of major green projects that are ready for investment.

Eleven sites and projects across the City Region have been identified for a multi-million pound GI investment in the Prospectus. This will lead to the creation of 200 hectares of trees, green space and new nature habitats which could directly benefit the local economy by £17.9m and have a wider impact of up to £176m according to research by consultants Arup. The Prospectus also identifies 29 locations for solar PV installations and energy crops such as miscanthus grass on currently derelict land.

The new Prospectus has been commissioned by Liverpool's Local Economic Partnership and Nature Connected, the Local Nature Partnership and has won backing from major private sector developers such as Peel Group.

Richard Mawdsley, Development Director at Peel Group, welcomes the Prospectus:

"The role green infrastructure plays in driving growth is critical. It's is a vital ingredient in helping to create environments where people and businesses can thrive. What helps to drive growth is the creation of highly desirable places.

"With this work we now have the ability to assess the contribution GI plays in job creation and growth. This approach is genuinely cutting edge. The Liverpool City Region, in conjunction with The Mersey Forest, are leading the way – not only nationally but internationally."

Liverpool is at the leading edge of research into how trees and green spaces benefit the economy. Analysts from The Mersey Forest and international consulting firm Arup have found that problems such as poor image, risk of flood, and air pollution affect some of the city region's potential growth areas – and green infrastructure can be part of the solution.

Director of The Mersey Forest, Paul Nolan, comments:

"There are sites in the Liverpool city region with huge potential for growth but facing significant barriers to investment – and remaining pockets of derelict land that blight whole areas. What this Prospectus shows is that planting trees and landscaping isn't an added extra – it is a crucial part of removing those barriers and attracting new businesses, jobs and growth. We are also creating a attractive place to live and work."

The approach to supporting new developments with investment in GI has been trialled as part of the Peel Group Group's Wirral Waters development scheme. Alongside the new roads and buildings a network of trees and green spaces is being created including 150 street trees, turning a bleak urban landscape into one that is attractive, welcoming and colourful.

A unique mix of private sector investors and public agencies have come together to form a strategic alliance – Green EnerGI – to drive forward the portfolio of projects. The next step is to seek funding, which is likely to include an approach to the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF).

The Mersey Forest has contributed to a major new reference work focusing on younger people, with staff and associates authoring a chapter on Forest School and natural play.

The chapter examines the role of natural play in children's cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development, explores reasons for the decline of natural play opportunities in the UK before proposing how Forest School can help to tackle this deficit.

The work is included in a volume called 'Space, Place and the Environment'* – part of Geographies of Children and Young People, Major Reference Work comprising twelve volumes that pulls together the best international reflective and innovative scholarship focusing on younger people. The volume aims to demonstrate the various ways that space, place and environments interact with children and young people's lives.

Clare Austin, our match funded PhD student from Liverpool John Moores University and Jo Sayers, our Community Development Officer have contributed to the chapter which gives an overview of Forest School research, offering exemplars from the Mersey Forest programme and puts forward a case for Forest School to be integrated into children's curriculum.

How can local community groups be successful in managing woodlands and green spaces? What support do they need, and what are the pitfalls to avoid?

Those are questions that are crucial to the future growth of The Mersey Forest, which is why we invest in promoting and conducting research on how we work with volunteer community groups who look after and manage sites of green infrastructure.

Community involvement, participation, and ownership are absolutely fundamental to our work. Since 1998 through our Friends of the Woodlands project we've been supporting communities over a sustained period to take an active role in their local woodlands and green space for the benefit of people, the environment and the local economy. We connect researchers with that project to learn about what works.

Over the past few years The Mersey Forest has been generously supporting a PhD student in the Department of Geography at the University of Liverpool through the Mersey Forest Graduate Scholarship. We spoke to Gemma Jerome now in the final year, about her research and what it meant to receive this support and what she's going to do next:

What is your research about?

My research is about the factors and forces which affect the resilience of volunteer groups who look after green spaces in their local community. I am interested in resilience and longevity, and why some groups manage to continue their voluntary work over a long period of time, and others face challenges that are too big for them to overcome, and are faced with the unfortunate decision to discontinue their project.

My research is looking in depth at the experiences of four different community groups who have been managing small areas of green space in their local community over the last ten years. I have interviewed volunteers in the setting of their project to get a good sense of what their motivating factors are, and what challenges they face on a day to day level.

I also decided to interview other stakeholders who invest time and resources in the outcomes of these small scale voluntary projects, such as funders, local government officers, and representative of supportive community organisations.

What are your main findings so far?

The main finding from the research shows that the key factor affecting community groups in their capacity to continue working voluntarily to protect, manage and enhance local green spaces, is access to support and training, both during set up and continuing throughout the life of the project.

This is significant for the environmental sector, and for supporting organisations like The Mersey Forest, as they increasingly have to justify the allocation of funds to small scale projects such as those being led by volunteers in a local community. As such, this research adds weight to the argument that community members make an important contribution to the management and maintenance of local green space, which in turn provides opportunities for people to access nature for health and wellbeing benefits, as well as benefits to the quality of the local environment and resilience against threats to quality of life through climate change, such as flooding.

However, community members working alone, find that the many responsibilities involved in looking after a green space in the long term can become too difficult without the additional support provided by expert organisations, even if this support is minimal and low cost, such as attending events and offering advice over the phone or via email.

At a time when policy guidance is encouraging community groups to take more responsibility for 'non-essential' services such as local parks and green space, this research makes recommendations for how community groups may be best supported in a time of budget constraints to make the best possible use of limited resources available to ensure the resilience of small scale projects which provide benefits to people and nature at the local level.

How did you feel when you got the scholarship?

Fantastic! It was such a privilege to be given the opportunity to spend time exploring an area of research which I feel really passionate about. I have admired the work of The Mersey Forest for many years, and I was very excited about the opportunity to work with such an inspirational organisation.

What are your plans for the future?

I am very happy as I have just started a new job working for the Wildlife Trust in Gloucestershire. I am developing a Green Infrastructure product for their ecological consultancy. It aims to positively influence the ways in which space for nature will be included in all new residential and commercial developments, for the benefit of both wildlife and people.

I am writing up my research alongside this new job, so I am very busy, but also very pleased to be working in an area which I feel is so important for the health of humanity and the planet. And The Mersey Forest scholarship was a crucial launch-pad for me jumping off into the world of work after my PHD, thank you!

The Mayor and Mayoress of Warrington, Councillor Geoff and Mrs Jean Settle, have helped pupils at Croft School to plant a new orchard.

More than thirty pupils and teachers were joined by the couple and The Mersey Forest team as they planted a collection of apple and pear trees, together with flowering bulbs and a stretch of hedge to provide a windbreak for the orchard.

Head Teacher Anne Mains said: "The orchard the children have planted today is our latest step in improving opportunities to learn outdoors - an important part of our curriculum. We hope to start Forest School sessions in our grounds in Spring. The sessions help to improve children's confidence, interpersonal skills and knowledge of the natural world. Our new trees will enhance our growing area; we are looking forward to our first harvest of fruit!"

The school had additional support from Bents Home and Garden who provided the bulbs and TCS UK who have helped to fund the trees that were planted.

Mersey Forest Steering Group member, Cllr Settle, said "It was great to see the kids getting involved with the planting day – they really enjoyed it and the new trees are a great addition to the growing area."

The Mersey Forest has joined with 43 other organisations today in a new campaign led by the Woodland Trust to celebrate the value of our trees and woods and secure their future by creating a new Charter for Trees, Woods and People.

The new charter will be launched in November 2017, which marks 800 years since Henry lll signed the original Charter of the Forest. This influential charter protected and restored the rights of people to access and use the Royal Forests.

Today, our nation's woods and trees are facing unprecedented pressures from development, pests and diseases and climate change. They risk being neglected, undervalued and forgotten. Now is the time to create a new charter, a broader charter that recognises the importance of trees in our society, celebrates their enormous contribution to our lives, and acts now so that future generations can benefit from them too.

The coalition's ambition is that the principles set out in the 2017 charter will articulate the relationship between people and trees in the UK in the 21st century. The charter will provide guidance and inspiration for policy, practice, innovation and enjoyment. Redefining the everyday benefits that we all gain from woods and trees in our lives, for everyone, from Government to businesses, communities and individuals.

Local groups, clubs, councils and committees will be encouraged to take part by bringing people together to celebrate the woods and trees at the heart of their communities and help feed ideas and stories into the building of the charter. The 43 Charter Steering Group organisations are also looking to recruit local 'Charter Champions' who will ensure their community is represented in this ambitious project, able to seize this unique opportunity to define the future for woods and trees in the UK and make their voices heard.

Guidance and information will be provided during the campaign to inspire and support local activities, and to help people create a lasting legacy in communities across the UK. Funding will be available for local events, activities and projects that reconnect people and trees. Anyone involved will be part of a UK-wide network of groups leading local events and will represent communities in this UK wide conversation about the future of woods and trees.

The charter will be rooted in stories and memories that show us how trees have shaped our society, landscape and lives. To kick the campaign off, the organisations involved are asking people from all corners of the UK to share their 'tree stories' of treasured or significant moments in their lives that would not have been possible without trees, to help create a charter that reflects the true meaning and value of trees and woods to the people of the UK.

Beccy Speight, Woodland Trust CEO said: "Our collective ambition is for a charter that puts trees back at the heart of our lives, communities and decision making -where they belong. The charter will provide guidance and inspiration to allow us all to appreciate, preserve and celebrate our trees and woods for what they do for us in so many different ways. Inspired by something that happened 800 years ago, there is no better time than now to shine the spotlight again on the benefits that trees and woods bring to us all today and to future generations."

Paul Nolan, Director, The Mersey Forest added: "The Mersey Forest is all about getting more from trees - recognising their role in climate change, health and wellbeing, economic development and more. We're really pleased to be part of this major new campaign to get even more people involved in championing trees and woodlands"

Each year England's Community Forests host a national conference to discuss the progress community forestry is making, identify issues and develop opportunities.

Our 2016 conference will be held at the Birmingham Midland Institute on Wednesday 23rd March 2016.

This year our conference focuses on the Urban Forest with the launch of a new document by the Urban Forestry and Woodlands Advisory Committee. We will also look at professionalism in community forestry, with ICF Chief Executive Shireen Chambers.
There is lots of time for discussion and questions too.

Once again we are delighted that our conference chair will be Sir Harry Studholme, Forestry Commission chairman.

For further information and to book to attend please use this Eventbrite link. There is a small charge to help cover the costs of the event:

Yesterday saw the first Partnership Event for our Nature4Health project bringing together representatives from community organisations, land managers and academics from across the Forest.

Community officers, forest school leaders and researchers from a wide range of organisations including Riverside Housing, the Cass Foundation, TCV, the Land Trust, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool University, Knowsley Council, 1st Enable and Ecolibrium descended on Risley Moss for a morning of presentations and presentations.

Nature4Health is a three year project funded by The Big Lottery's Reaching Communities Programme to tackle health inequalities. Over the next three years a series of activities will take place in targeted communities across The Mersey Forest including Liverpool, Sefton and St.Helens.

The scheme provides high quality, evidence-based sessions utilising the assets of the local natural environment. It's about providing health-promoting, enjoyable group activities in a green, therapeutic environment.

The first activity for 2016 kicked off today with a TCV Green Gym session at the Countess of Chester Health Park.

For more information about Nature4Health see our new website: http://www.nature4health.org.uk/

The Mersey Forest team has worked with partners since 2008 to develop a simple tool to use which helps put an economic value on investments. The toolkit provides information that can help to secure funding, justify interventions and choose between scenarios. It can also help to raise awareness about the benefits of green infrastructure and the value of those benefits to society. The toolkit is being made available as a prototype and free open source resource that can be downloaded from here.

If you're wanting to grow your forestry business, we're hosting two events which will provide more information on the rural funding streams including LEADER, Countryside Productivity and other European support:

To register your place e-mail nwwm@forestry.gsi.gov.uk or phone Graham on 0300 067 4190. There is limited capacity at each event and so it is essential you register as soon as possible to guarantee your place.

The Community Forest movement – of which the Mersey Forest is a proud member – comes of age this year.

It's 21 years since the first seeds were sown of a new movement to increase tree cover in key areas across the country.

England's Community Forests are a now a major national asset. Over half of England's population lives within easy reach of a Community Forest. Our maturing woodlands are becoming magnets for recreation, boosting local economies and setting the scene for future growth and prosperity.

We've taken stock of our achievements and looked ahead at what needs to happen next to build on our success. We've created a short 'manifesto' that outlines the role we can play in the years ahead to address important challenges faced by our economy, our environment and our communities.

The development of the Mersey Forest has given many species of wildlife a boost with many new habitats such as woodlands and grasslands created. Moths are a common feature of our night-time environment, and local naturalist Tom Ferguson has been examining species found in just one Mersey Forest woodland.

We're used to seeing butterflies, but there are far more moth species in the British Isles (roughly 2500 moth species compared with around 60 butterflies). Most moths emerge at night and so are seen by few of us.

Some moths fly in the daytime. For example, Burnet moths can be commonly seen feeding on meadow flowers in grasslands throughout the Mersey Forest area with their distinctive blue/black coloration and red spots.

On three nights during August, local naturalists Tom Ferguson and Brian Judd set up a moth trap on the edge of a small woodland planted as part of the Mersey Forest back in 1985. They caught (and then released) over 200 moths of 42 different species.

The distribution of moths is dependent on a number of factors but of critical importance is the availability of food for caterpillars. Each moth has its own particular tastes. Tom explains:

"For example, the Scalloped Oak despite its name is pretty catholic in its taste and feeds on most trees and shrubs. The Swallow Prominent is more specific – feeding on Poplar, Aspen and Willow – whilst the Sallow Kitten also likes Aspen as well as its namesake. The most dramatic and largest moth we found was the Poplar Hawkmoth whose bright green equally large caterpillar feeds on Poplar , Aspen and Willow."

Tom and Brian's trap revealed that some local moths are very colourful. The Buff Ermine is pale cream with prominent dark spots, the Scalloped Oak a dusky yellow whilst the Brimstone Moth which is partial to Hawthorn and Blackthorn is also yellow with russet markings.

"It's true that the majority of moths are very subdued in their colouration" comments Tom, "but in close up the beauty and subtlety of their markings can be amazing. Of those we found the Old Lady and Antler Moth were particularly striking."

The majority of moths are resident to the UK but some species migrate from continental Europe every year. Most of those are seen in the southern and eastern counties of England. However, the Silver Y, so-called on account of the prominent white mark on its forewing, can be seen commonly in gardens in Merseyside flying by day and night and feeding on a wide range of flowering plants.

Moths can be found in most months of the year although very few fly in midwinter. Warm cloudy nights in July and August can be particularly productive and a good time to go looking. Some local wildlife groups and Rangers organise moth trapping evenings.

Tom suggests: "As well as light, moths can also be attracted to sugar solutions and one option would be to hang up in your garden a cloth soaked in a mixture of beer,sugar and treacle and see what turns up. It's not too late to try this year!"

There is a wealth of evidence to show how high quality natural environments can support health and wellbeing. Specific programmes such as Green Gym, Forest School, Cycle for Health and Walking for Health use the natural environment as the basis for their work.

However, these types of intervention are still not integrated fully into the health and social care systems, are often funded as short-term projects and can lack robust assessments of health outcomes.

The Natural Health Service has been established by The Mersey Forest to;

Develop targeted health products that make use of the Natural Environment as a key element of health care or improvement.

Improve the consistency of the evaluation of the products delivered.

Improve overall quality of service delivery.

Help to coordinate environment bodies and our offer to the health and social care sector.

Increase the use of the natural environment to support good health as part of the wider determinants of health.

Establish the Natural Health Service as a commissionable business.

The last few months has seen exciting progress with a significant tranche of funding and the establishment of a Natural Health Service Research Centre of Excellence.

Join us to find out more in this lecture by Paul Nolan OBE, Director of the Mersey Forest. The event is organised jointly by the Merseyside Environment Trust and the Duncan Society in partnership with the University of Liverpool.

The Mersey Forest has joined organisations across the forestry sector in agreeing to take action to secure more resilient woodlands to benefit business and wildlife in a changing climate.

Commitments made include supplying and growing a greater diversity of tree species as well as considering the provenance of seed to give the forests of the future the greatest chance of continuing to provide the many benefits they do, particularly in the face of damaging pests and diseases that may be a greater threat in a changed climate.

There will be more sharing of skills and experiences from woodland managers. Different ways of managing woodland for timber, such as Continuous Cover Forestry, will be expanded. This is a system of forestry that avoids felling entire woodlands of trees of the same age and has benefits including providing shade, cooling, improved drainage and weather shelter.

Paul Nolan, Director, The Mersey Forest, said:

"Trees can help to protect us from climate change by reducing and removing carbon from the atmosphere and help us adapt by providing cooling and shade. That positive benefit from woodland can only take place if we refine how we design, plant, and manage trees and woodlands so that they can withstand and thrive in future climates."

"The forestry, agriculture and land use sector has significant opportunities to contribute to climate change mitigation but at the same time is one of the most exposed to climate impacts.

"The CLA has been pleased to be part of this important initiative to embed adaptation to climate change into woodland management nationally. We urge all woodland owners and managers to lend their support to the accord statement produced by the group and to let their views be known by completing the online survey".

Environment Minister Rory Stewart added:

"Building our resilience to climate change is important for everyone. That's why we developed the first National Adaptation Programme report setting out actions for government, businesses, local councils and communities.

"It's crucial we take the changing climate into account in all our decision making and I congratulate the forestry industry on these proposals. By ensuring we manage our woodlands carefully and plant more diverse species we can improve the resilience of our forests and safeguard them from the risks posed by climate change."

Forestry professionals, including woodland owners and managers, agents, tree nursery businesses, and foresters, are being asked for their assessment on how well the sector is adapting to environmental change.

The British Woodland Survey 2015, funded by the Forestry Commission and Woodland Trust and hosted by the Sylva Foundation, is now live online and preliminary findings are expected to be revealed in early October.

The final results will inform the government's second National Adaptation Programme report and will support forestry businesses as they make changes to adapt their businesses.

A new three-year green health and wellbeing programme is set to hit Liverpool, St.Helens and Sefton this summer thanks to £419,597 funding by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund.

The Mersey Forest's Nature4Health initiative will use the power of nature to help people give their minds and bodies a boost. Activities on offer will include woodland walks, therapeutic gardening and practical conservation sessions to get the heart pumping. The popular meditation technique of mindfulness will be given a new twist by putting it in a natural setting.

"There's a wealth of evidence that being out in woodlands and green spaces makes us healthier and happier" said Paul Nolan, Director, The Mersey Forest. "This programme will enable people to enjoy their local green spaces and get fitter at the same time."

Places where Nature4Health sessions will be available include Colliers Moss, St.Helens; Mab Lane, Liverpool; Dam Wood, Croxteth Park, Liverpool; Bootle South Recreation Ground, Sefton; Rimrose Country Park, Sefton and more to be announced. Activities will be targeted at both adults and children and designed to be welcoming to complete beginners.

There will also be the opportunity for people to get involved in learning the skills needed to help out with managing the sessions, boosting their experience for the job market.

Nature4Health is a three year project which uses the power of the natural environment to reduce health inequalities.You will be working closely with the project manager, local groups and project partners to deliver and help coordinate the activities which are funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund.

You will have experience of successfully co-ordinating or managing community projects and working effectively with a range of organisations. You will also be able to demonstrate a passion for working with some of our most deprived communities.

This post is based at Risley Moss, Warrington and there will also be opportunity for you to work across The Mersey Forest.

Please send your CV and an overview of why you think you may be suitable for this role based on the job specification and description to mail@merseyforest.org.uk or by post to Community Forest Trust, 6 Kansas Avenue, Salford, M50 2GL. Registered Charity No. 1072706.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

The Mayor of Warrington Councillor Geoff Settle, Mayoress Mrs Jean Settle and local children formally opened a new village play area on Warrington Road, Glazebury, to cheers from local councillors, residents and businesses.

The four year project has completely transformed an empty piece of land provided to Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council by Bents Garden & Home into a natural, interactive play area and community space for the residents of the village. It offers a climbing and seating areas made from giant logs, a willow tunnel, den-building areas, a community orchard and wildlife-friendly hedges, trees and wildflowers.

Speaking after the event Cllr Settle said 'I was very pleased to cut the ribbon and see the results of all the hard work that everyone had put in - partners and community alike.

'As the Chair of the Warrington Nature Conservation Forum, I am very pleased that the design increases biodiversity and use of natural sustainable materials. It's a great example of combining the principles and ethos of The Mersey Forest, that of a local company, and ideas and suggestions from local residents.

'It is a wonderful natural play area with many lovely features that I can see are clearly stimulating young minds tonight. I remember when I was young that I got the same enjoyment exploring the woods and countryside at some risk in retrospect. The difference here is that it is a much safer environment where children can learn to appreciate exploring before they venture out into the wider world.'

The First TransPennine Express and Forestry Commission Green Grants are now available for environmental improvements.

If you are a community group, charity or school, want to carry out a project that will benefit wildlife and the local community, and you are close to a FTPE station or railway line in the north of England, then grants up to £2,500 are available.

The deadline for applications is Friday 30 October 2015.

For more details and to check your location, please see the related documents below.

United Utilities and Eric Wright Civil Engineering have been supporting Glazebury residents by adding the finishing touches to a new play area made entirely from natural materials.

New child-friendly gates onto the site, funded by United Utilities, add to the footpath already installed by Eric Wright Civil Engineering.

The paths and gates are part of a project to transform land provided to Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council by Bents Garden & Home into a natural, interactive play area and community space for the residents of the village.

Bents Garden & Home are also helping by organising a staff day to help with the final tasks including the sowing of wildflower areas in preparation for the official opening. The play area will open at 1pm on Saturday 6th June with children's play activities including den building, mini-beast hunts and natural crafts.

The new play area offers a climbing and seating area made from giant logs, a willow tunnel, den-building areas, a community orchard and wildlife-friendly hedges, trees and wildflowers.

The project has been organised and coordinated by Glazebury Community Play Area Committee with support from The Mersey Forest.

Graham Borg, group chair and local resident said: "We are so grateful to these businesses for their help with these final crucial steps, and would like to offer a big welcome to all members of the community when we open the play area in two weeks' time".

As many of our supporters will know, The Mersey Forest has been involved with the development and delivery of the Natural Health Service by offering a number of pilots in areas of the Forest.

Evidence for the effectiveness of this approach is overwhelming and the time has now come to start building our case to Commissioners and Public Health as to why the service provides such a good option for local people looking to improve and sustain their health.

We have recently been successful in securing funds from the Social Investment Business allowing us to work with government-appointed consultants (Cogent Ventures) to help us to strengthen our case when approaching funders such as the CCGs and Public Health.

As part of this process, we would like to consult with previous, current and potential beneficiaries of services provided in the natural environment.

If you have, are currently or are hoping to access Natural Health-type activities in the future – please fill in the appropriate survey below.

Pupils at Cheshire Day Nursery in Latchford, Warrington, have kick-started the development of a new mini woodland in their front garden.

Four-year-old tots were supervised by teachers and The Mersey Forest team as they planted willow and hazel trees in the area, which will be used to host Forest School sessions in future.

Forest School – a method of outdoor learning which helps children to reconnect with nature and learn about the natural environment – is already well-established at the nursery, but sessions are currently limited to the three mature trees in the garden.

The project is being coordinated by nursery staff and The Mersey Forest and the trees were funded by Big Tree Plant and ForeStClim.

Susan Hemy, Early Years Professional at Cheshire Day Nursery, said: "Forest School is an important part of our curriculum. The sessions help to improve children's confidence, interpersonal skills and knowledge of the natural world. The new trees will enhance our Forest School area, enabling nursery staff to harvest den-building materials in future sessions."

Jo Sayers, Community Development Officer at The Mersey Forest, said: "It was great to see the kids getting involved with the planting day – they really enjoyed it and the new trees will greatly improve their Forest School area."

Glazebury residents have been adding the finishing touches to a new play area made from natural materials.

A new footpath has been funded and installed by Eric Wright Civil Engineering into the play area to improve accessibility to the space, and residents have planted wildflower bulbs along it.

The latest improvements are part of a project to transform land provided to Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council by Bents Garden and Home into a natural, interactive play area and community space for Glazebury residents.

Once complete, the play area will feature a community orchard, climbing and seating areas made from boulders and logs, a willow dome, den-building areas, vegetable growing areas, wildlife-friendly hedges, trees and wildflowers.

The project has been organised and coordinated by Glazebury Community Play Area committee with support from The Mersey Forest (www.merseyforest.org.uk). It has been supported by a range of local partners, including Cory Environmental Trust in Britain through the Landfill Communities Fund and Big Tree Plant funding through The Mersey Forest.

Graham Borg, group chair and local resident said: "The team from Eric Wright have been really supportive and now that the paths are complete, the next step is to install new access gates with the help of United Utilities. This is another big step towards opening the play area this spring."

Recycling your real Christmas tree is a great way to cut down on waste this festive season and benefit your local green spaces, too.

Used real Christmas trees can be recycled into woodchips and leaf mulch, which can be used to maintain parks and woodlands.

If you live in The Mersey Forest area - Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Warrington - you can recycle your Christmas tree in the following ways.

Cheshire West and Chester

Residents in Cheshire West and Chester should cut up their real Christmas trees and put them inside their green bins, ready for the next green bin collection date.

Halton
Residents living in Halton can take Christmas trees to household recycling centres. To find your nearest centre, visit the Halton Council website.

Knowsley
Christmas tree collection points are available at the following locations up until the middle of January.
• Halewood Park, Halewood
• Stadt Moers Park, Whiston
• Millbrook Park, Kirby
• Court Hey Park, Huyton
• The Holy Family Social Club, Cronton
.Liverpool
Over the Christmas period Liverpool City Council will be establishing collection points where residents can take their real Christmas trees.

St.Helens
Residents can recycle their Christmas trees by using a service provided by the St.Helens Ranger Service between 5-12 January. The service will be available at the following sites:

Mesnes Park

Victoria Park

Gaskell Park

Nannygoat Park

Sherdley Park

Fosters Park

Sutton Park

Taylor Park

Clinkham Community Woodland

Downall Croft Doorstep Green

Warrington

St Rocco's Hospice, in partnership with Warrington Council, are running a Christmas tree recycling service this year to raise funds for the charity. They will be collecting Christmas trees on 10 and 11 January, in return for a donation of your choice. To book your collection, visit their website.

A new website, www.floodready.co.uk, has been launched to raise awareness of flood risk in the North West.

Flooding is a serious problem in the UK with 1 in 6 properties at risk of flooding. The impacts of flooding on our communities can be devastating. Floods can keep people out of their homes for at least 6 months and it can cost around £20,000 to make a home habitable again.

The website has been funded by the North West Regional Flooding and Coastal Committee and developed by Sefton Council and the Southport Eco Centre, with support from the Environment Agency.

The online resource features interactive animations, case studies from all over the North West Region and a wealth of supporting activities and resources that will enable everyone in our community to "Be Flood Ready" and become more resilient to future flooding events. The case studies not only feature flooding events, but highlight good examples of community engagement and flood risk management schemes.

Councillor Derek Antrobus, Chair of the North West Regional Flooding and Coastal Committee says, ""Our climate is changing and the North West is likely to get wetter over the next few decades. It is important that we not only invest in managing future flood risk, but also make sure that communities and future generations have the knowledge and understanding to tackle the more severe threats of the future.

"This online tool means that everyone has at their fingertips a resource to develop a good understanding of how floods happen and how we can all protect ourselves from future flooding through insightful and engaging activities."

Tackling flooding in The Mersey Forest

Green infrastructure, especially trees, can help to alleviate flooding. For example, trees can help rainwater seep into the ground, reducing the amount of water that ends up in sewers. Leaves can catch rain on its journey to the ground, slowing the progress of rainwater into the drains; and roots can soak up excess rainwater and return it to the atmosphere.

Over the next fifty years, winter precipitation in The Mersey Forest is set to increase by up to 30%, putting communities in Merseyside and North Cheshire at a higher risk of flooding. There are a number of organisations working to mitigate the effects of this projected rainfall; one such initiative is The Mersey Forest's Urban Catchment Forestry project. The project aims to bring together a wide range of partners to make the business case for the strategic use of urban trees and woodlands to reduce flooding, improve water quality, and bring wider economic, social and environmental benefits.

If you cast your mind back to 2012, you may remember ash dieback disease, which was identified as an unprecedented threat to the nation's ash trees.

Ash dieback disease - or chalara fraxinea - is a fungus which causes leaf loss and crown dieback in ash trees. Since the discovery of infected trees in South East England in 2012, cases have been identified across the country.

Forestry Commission has taken the lead in the fight against chalara. It is currently monitoring the progress of the disease in the UK, and is also conducting trials to identify whether certain ash trees could be resistant to chalara. The organisation has also produced an interactive map, which displays the location of known infection areas in the UK.

At the time of writing (18/11/2014), no evidence of the disease has been found in The Mersey Forest area, which covers Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St.Helens, and Warrington.

We'll continue to keep you updated as to the status of ash dieback in Merseyside and North Cheshire. Interested parties, such as landowners with ash trees in their woodlands, can attend the North West Forest Forum event on 10 December for further information. Additional information can be found on the Forestry Commission website.

The Mersey Forest is holding a series of events to enable landowners to discuss future woodland grants funding.

A new range of grants will become available in 2015 to support businesses and land managers across Cheshire and Warrington. There will be opportunities to bid for funding for projects that may enhance productivity and create new jobs.

Whilst this type of funding has been available in the past, the woodland and forestry sector priorities have not always been well supported. The Mersey Forest would like to develop a clear case that would support investment in the woodland and forestry sector over the next five years.

If you're involved in the sector - for example, as the owner of a woodland, or as somebody who owns a forestry-related business - we'd love your input.

We've organised three discussion events in Cheshire and Warrington. The events will be short, provide you with background information, give the opportunity to discuss your ideas and, hopefully, develop some clear priorities with others at the meeting.

There's only five days left to vote for Glazebury natural play area in a bid for funding which will help The Mersey Forest to complete the project for the benefit of local children and families.

For the last two years The Mersey Forest has been working with the local community in Glazebury to establish a natural play area complete with play logs and other natural play equipment, and an edible hedge.

If we win funding from Lloyds Banking Group, we'll be able to take the project to the next level by building a footpath to improve access to the site, and creating a growing area for everyone to use - but we won't win the funding without your help.

We're now gearing up to deliver dozens of tree planting schemes as part of Big Tree Plant for the 2014-15 season.

Since the beginning of our Big Tree Plant project three years ago, we've worked with hundreds of community groups and schools to plant over 45,000 trees in Merseyside and North Cheshire.

We don't just deliver the trees. Our complete service includes supporting the project from start to finish, from the site design stages through to the planting of the final tree. All of our Big Tree Plant schemes are focussed on the community, which means that hundreds of people are able to get involved in tree-planting as part of the project.

In the last year alone, we've planted 6000 trees in The Mersey Forest area. Key projects this year have included:

The planting of two new school woodlands at the Woolston Learning Village campus in Warrington. Pupils took part in a planting day to develop the spaces, which will be used both as potential Forest School areas, and quiet restorative areas for staff and pupils to enjoy. Read more about this story here.

Year 3 pupils from Hartford Primary School, Cheshire all pitched in to help members of team extend their school woodland, as part of a project to improve their Forest School area. Read more about this story here.

A school woodland has been developed at Haydock Primary School, St.Helens, again as the starting point for a Forest School woodland. The whole school turned out to help plant hundreds of trees there in late February.

Pupils at Malvern School, Knowsley have been transforming their school field into areas of new woodland, with pupils of all ages joining in to plant small whips, larger standard trees, fruit trees and sow wild flowers.

The Beacon C.E. Primary School in North Liverpool has been working hard with team members to create a new Forest School area adjacent to their school. They have adopted an area of green space next to their school which they have planted with mixed native tree species.

Widnes Tennis Centre have been developing a new woodland alongside their academy. Read the story here.

We're looking forward to planting even more trees this tree-planting season, which starts in October.

Hundreds of people descended on Risley Moss Local Nature Reserve last weekend for a "party in the woods" to celebrate the launch of The Mersey Forest Plan.

The fun-filled event was opened by Warrington North MP Helen Jones. Activities throughout the day included willow weaving, African drumming, and bracelet and seed-bomb making, with the soundtrack to the carnival provided by solar-powered music. Local dancing group Fusion also performed in the sunshine for onlookers.

Over the past two decades The Mersey Forest Partnership, including Warrington Borough Council and neighbouring local authorities, has planted almost 9 million trees across Cheshire and Merseyside.

Paul Nolan, Director of The Mersey Forest, said: "The Mersey Forest Plan sets out a vision in which Merseyside and North Cheshire is one of the best places in the country to live.

"Last summer we asked local people to help shape The Mersey Forest Plan through a public consultation, and this 'party in the woods' was our way of saying thank you for their invaluable feedback.

"We will now focus on delivering The Mersey Forest Plan in Warrington and neighbouring authorities – boosting woodland cover and planting more trees for the benefit of people, wildlife and the economy."

"Party in the Woods" was part of Warrington Borough Council's annual Green Safari event, run jointly with Risley Moss Action Group.

We are delighted to announce that Paul Nolan, the Director of The Mersey Forest, has been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours with an OBE.

The honour was given in recognition of Paul's services to Forestry.

Paul has worked at The Mersey Forest for the last 20 years and has led the team for the last 13. During this time, the team and partnership has planted 9 million trees across Merseyside and North Cheshire, secured £41m in investment in local green spaces, and held 40,000 community events.

Paul Nolan said: "I am surprised and delighted. It's great that the achievements of The Mersey Forest have been recognised in this way.

"I've been really lucky to work with some fantastic people to help create The Mersey Forest.

"While I take great personal pride in everything the partnership has achieved over the last 20 years, I'm really grateful to all of my colleagues for making this happen."

We would like to congratulate Paul Nolan, Director of The Mersey Forest, who was awarded an OBE for services to forestry in the Queen's Birthday Honours list at the weekend – and to briefly pay tribute to him.

The Mersey Forest team and partnership has achieved much over the last 20 years. We've planted over 9 million trees in Merseyside and North Cheshire – over three times more than the England average for tree planting. We've held almost 40,000 community events. We've secured almost £41m in funding – money which has gone straight back into improving our local green spaces. And under Paul's quiet, confident leadership, we've been shouting out a crucial message – that the welfare of people, wildlife and the economy is dependent upon our natural world.

Would we have been able to achieve so much under another's leadership? It seems unlikely.

All of this – and more – has only been possible because of the ceaseless enthusiasm and dedicated work ethic of Paul; a man with time for everybody; whose door is literally always open; for whom no idea is a silly idea; and whose adaptability and penchant for innovative solutions has characterised his tenure as director.

Would we have been able to achieve so much under another's leadership? It seems unlikely. For anybody that knows him, it is clear to see that for Paul, leading The Mersey Forest is not just a job. It is a vocation.

Paul attributes this honour to everyone who has been involved in The Mersey Forest over the years. This may be warranted, but we believe that the honour is very much deserved on a personal level too. Well done, Paul. We can think of no-one more deserving of this recognition than you. And maybe it's time to take a holiday now – there's over twenty years of leave for you to take!

There's lots going on in The Mersey Forest in this summer, from family fun days to green infrastructure seminars. See below for our pick of this summer's events and feel free to contact us if you'd like more information.

Party in the Woods

Sunday 22 June 2014

Risley Moss Local Nature Reserve, Birchwood, Warrington, WA3 8QX

Join us as we celebrate the launch of The Mersey Forest Plan at a woodland carnival at Risley Moss.

There'll be lots of fun activities to get the whole family involved in, from willow-weaving and den building to solar-powered music - and there's also going to be cake! As Party in the Woods is part of Warrington Council's Green Safari Day, the day is set to feature lots of other stalls and activities too.

Setting the Scene for Growth: Creating investable places

Friday 27 June 2014
Rum Warehouse, Liverpool

We'll be holding a green infrastructure seminar as part of the International Festival for Business to show how woodlands and green spaces can boost investability.

Speakers will include Richard Mawdsley, Development Manager at Peel, and Tom Armour, Head of Landscape Architecture at Arup.

We're organising a community event to celebrate the work we've been doing to improve Ilchester Park.

Earlier this year we were awarded £67,000 from Veolia Environmental Trust to put life back into this underused green space, and as a result the park will see £100,000 worth of investment by 2015. The improvements will include the construction of accessible paths and a natural play area.

The project accompanies our Wirral Green Streets project, which has seen over 600 trees planted in Birkenhead as part of the Wirral Waters development.

We'll keep you posted about the details of this event - in the meantime, read more about our work in Wirral.

The Mersey Forest Plan, the long-term strategic document of The Mersey Forest team and partners, has been shortlisted for a prestigious national planning award.

The Plan, which sets out a vision in which Merseyside and North Cheshire is one of the best places in the country to live, has been shortlisted for the Royal Town Planning Institute's Natural and Built Heritage Award.

The winners will be announced at a glittering ceremony in London on Monday 23 June.

Chairing the panel of judges at the RTPI is Sir Terry Farrell, one the world's leading architect planners. Sir Terry is also author of the recent Farrell Review, a UK government-commissioned review of architecture and the built environment.

Sir Terry said: "This is the second year I have chaired the judging and I am proud to say that once again our shortlist reflects the very best planning projects, strategies and processes that are helping to make great places for people to live and work.

"It will be far from easy to pick individual category winners, but I am looking forward, with my fellow awards judges, to that exciting challenge. I anticipate celebrating some truly outstanding examples of planning."

Paul Nolan, Director of The Mersey Forest, said: "We are proud to have been acknowledged in these renowned national awards alongside some great organisations.

"The Mersey Forest team, the wider partnership, and the local community have all invested a lot of time, effort and expertise into creating The Mersey Forest Plan, and we're keeping our fingers crossed that this hard work will be recognised when the awards winners are announced in June."

The Mersey Forest Plan sets out woodland cover targets for Merseyside and North Cheshire, and describes the aspirations for the management of the area's green space to benefit people, the economy, and wildlife. Download the Plan from The Mersey Forest Plan page.

It aims to promote inter-sector working, encourage developers and planners to embed tree-planting into thinking and plans, and support a network of forestry and planning in the UK. It also aims to provide clarity on planning and forestry policy following a number of changes announced by the government in the last year.

The website was developed by The Mersey Forest, supported by the Forestry Commission. It was created in response to the Government's Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement, addressing the commitment to:

"Help to support a sector-led Forestry and Planning network encouraging them (woodland assets) to demonstrate how trees and woodlands contribute to sustainable development and help enable growth."

The site was launched at the Community Forest Conference in Birmingham on 19 March 2014, by Tom Ferguson, Planning Policy Manager at The Mersey Forest.

Tom Ferguson said: "This website can provide an essential resource for foresters, developers and planners, equipping people from across the sectors with the tools to plant more trees across the UK.

"The site is very much a work in progress and we welcome feedback from anybody in the sectors to highlight missing links and documents."

A European project focussing on woodlands and climate change is Sefton has been extended, and is set to be rolled out across The Mersey Forest.

Last year saw the completion of ForeStClim, a transnational project which brought together 21 partners with a wide range of experts from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg to develop regional forestry management and forest protection strategies in the face of expected climate change scenarios.

This year, the project has been extended, and The Mersey Forest will be taking the lead in Merseyside and North Cheshire once more. This latest phase of the project will focus on spreading the word in communities about the impact of climate change and the role that trees and woodlands can play in adapting the landscape to climate change scenarios.

Paul Nolan, Director of The Mersey Forest said: "This is a timely and important project which will help communities understand the importance of trees and woodlands in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

"With rising temperatures, mild winters and warmer summers, plus flooding in Southern England, we are already seeing the impact of climate change in the UK.

"There has never been a more important time to prepare communities across The Mersey Forest for the future, particularly those people living on our coasts."

Pupils from Fox Wood School have been setting the scene for a greener future on their new campus in Woolston, Warrington.

The pupils took part in a tree-planting day to help create two woodland areas at Woolston Learning Village, which has been developed on the grounds of the former Woolston High School. The site will be shared by Fox Wood School and Green Lane School.

It is envisaged that the woodlands will be used for outdoor lessons as part of a Forest School programme at the school once they mature. Forest School is a child-led learning concept that can help youngsters learn basic practical skills, plus teamwork and emotional intelligence skills within a woodland setting.

It is also anticipated that one of the woodlands will be made fully accessible to pupils with the addition of new footpaths, conditional upon additional fundraising.

The woodland project is being funded by the Big Tree Plant and Woodland Trust and coordinated by The Mersey Forest.

Ms Nicholls, Head Teacher of Fox Wood School, said: "The development of the school woodland ties in perfectly with our move from Birchwood to the Woolston campus, which should be completed during the next academic year.

"The trees set the scene for a new start for Fox Wood and Green Lane, where pupils will be able to spend more time outside and learn about the environment in their own school woodlands."

Jo Sayers, Community Development Officer at The Mersey Forest, said: "We want to make Merseyside and North Cheshire one of the best places in the country to live, and this year we're planting thousands of trees across the region to achieve this vision as part of the Big Tree Plant."

Warrington residents are being invited to cut their own wood from a woodland in Lymm.

A wood allotment has been set up in Spud Wood, Lymm, to enable people to harvest their own woodfuel.

The wood allotments scheme enables people to cut cheap or free logs from local woodlands with the agreement of the landowner. In return, the felling helps to maintain the woodland.

The project at Spud Wood is being organised by Low Carbon Lymm, The Mersey Forest and Woodland Trust, following a successful pilot in Cheshire.

Residents are being asked to undertake tree-felling sessions run by the Conservation Volunteers, First Aid training, and sign up as a volunteer for the Woodland Trust before being allocated trees within the wood allotment.

Paul Nolan, Director at The Mersey Forest, said: "We're really excited that one of the first wood allotments in the country is now being run in Warrington.

"Wood allotments are a great way to sustainably manage woodlands and we're hoping to roll out the concept nationally this year."

For more information about wood allotments and to register your interest in a woodland, please visit www.woodallotments.com

Glazebury residents dug deep to continue the development of a local natural play area.

They planted wildflower bulbs and trees at the site, which is based off Warrington Road, at a planting event organised and coordinated by The Mersey Forest and the Glazebury Community Play Area Committee.

Last year, local volunteers helped to plant the beginnings of a community orchard with cobnut trees and a hedgerow as part of the development of the site. The area will provide a communal space for local people to get together within Glazebury village and encourage children to play more naturally in a new play area.

It will feature climbing and seating areas made from boulders and logs, winding paths, willow domes, den-building areas, and wildlife-friendly hedges, trees and wildflowers. The play logs are now onsite with work to begin on footpaths in the New Year.

Parish Councillor Angela Duncombe, said: "It was great to see so many local volunteers at the tree planting day. They were so enthusiastic about the play area and many stayed much longer than originally planned.

"The next phase of this project will involve laying paths down later this winter, followed by weaving a willow-dome on site."

The natural play area off Warrington Road is being created on land leased to Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council by Bents Garden Centre. The latest phase of the work is being funded through, Cory Environmental Trust in Britain through the Landfill Communities Fund and The Big Tree Plant funding through The Mersey Forest.

A new green partnership promoting the benefits of the natural environment was launched in Liverpool yesterday.

The partnership, Nature Connected, was officially launched at an event at the Isla Gladstone Conservatory in Stanley Park, Liverpool.

Nature Connected brings public, private and third sector organisations together for the first time to help reap the benefits of the natural environment for people, wildlife and the economy.

It's also focussed on embedding the natural environment into local decision-making.

At the launch event, over 140 people gathered to hear speakers including Gideon Ben-Tovim, Chair of Nature Connected, Ali Machray, Editor of the Liverpool Echo, and Sheena Ramsey, Chief Executive of Knowsley Council.

"Nature is a capital like any other capital. We need to manage it responsibly or we will lose the wealth on our doorsteps"

Roy Haines-Young, University of Nottingham

The speakers discussed issues such as the relationship between attractive green spaces and investment, economic growth in the City Region, and the importance of green space in breaking down health inequalities.

The Mersey Forest's Jo Sayers and Paul Nolan both spoke at the event, with the former focussing on the positive benefits of Forest School on children's development, and the latter introducing Nature at Work, the evidence base behind Nature Connected and Liverpool City Region's first green infrastructure strategy.

Paul Nolan, Director of The Mersey Forest, said: "Nature at Work provides the evidence base which can be used to make the case for investing in our natural assets.

"It shows that managing our green spaces effectively can boost growth, help mitigate climate change and drive tourism to the city region, reduce health inequalities, and make the city region a place where people want to live, work and play.

"Following its launch yesterday, I'm really looking forward to having a more joined-up conversation about the relationship between the economy and our natural environment."

The event was also an opportunity to showcase local enthusiasm for the natural environment. Attendees added their own pledges, hopes and aspirations for Liverpool City Region to a pledge tree. New Brighton Primary School, Wirral, sent in schoolchildren's artwork which conveyed their aspirations for the area in 30 years time, exploring themes of climate change and wildlife. This artwork was displayed at the event alongside projects from Liverpool PCT, The Mersey Forest and Merseyside Bio Bank.

To read the Action Plan for Liverpool City Region's green spaces, visit the Nature at Work homepage. To find out more about Nature Connected, visit the website.

This week, we issued our latest e-newsletters, with headlines including the success of the Natural Choices project in Liverpool, which has boosted health and wellbeing by 18% among participants, the enthusiasm of over 6500 people who have got involved with tree planting in their communities this year, and the award-winning woodlands in The Mersey Forest.

This year the Mersey Forest delivered £2.5 million worth of projects in Merseyside and North Cheshire, producing £13 for every £1 invested in the partnership.

Our newsletters are tailored, so whether you're a woodland professional, an interested member of the public, or represent a local authority, you'll be able to get all of our latest news. To view the right newsletter for you, visit our e-newsletter page.

The next edition of our newsletter is out at Christmas. To receive a copy, why not become a supporter of The Mersey Forest? It's free and only takes a minute.

Pupils at a school in Penketh have enhanced their outdoor growing area by planting a small orchard.

Pupils from St. Vincent's Primary School's Eco club requested the orchard as part of the development of the school's fruit and vegetable growing area, which is used to teach children about the local environment and healthy eating.

The trees were planted in late spring by members of the Eco Club, and were provided by the Big Tree Plant through The Mersey Forest.

Jo Sayers, Community Development Officer at The Mersey Forest, said: "It's really great to see this level of enthusiasm from pupils at the school.

"This school orchard will now bear fruit for all pupils to enjoy, will boost biodiversity in the growing area, and will brighten up the fruit and vegetable patches."

The Big Tree Plant is a DEFRA campaign which aims to empower communities to plant 1 million trees by 2015. The Mersey Forest is one of its delivery partners.

Following the success of the wood allotments pilot at Northwich Community Woodlands, Cheshire, The Mersey Forest will soon launch a new wood allotments website to help spread the word.

The scheme provides people with cheap, locally sourced renewable fuel, and also provides a valuable service by thinning the growing woodland to ensure its future health.

The new website, designed and developed by The Mersey Forest Team, will promote the wood allotments concept within The Mersey Forest. It points landowners and members of the public to useful information about the scheme.

It also includes a map of The Mersey Forest, which visitors to the website can use to find the wood allotment closest to them, or indicate where there is demand for a new site.

Landowners can also register their interest in providing a site for a wood allotment.

Nigel Blandford, Timber and Bioenergy at The Mersey Forest, said: "The wood allotments pilot in Cheshire has been a great success so we've decided to roll it out across The Mersey Forest.

"We see this website as the next step – enabling connections to be made between people that would like to sustainably cut their own fuel, and amenable landowners."

Pupils and staff at Bradshaw Primary School have set the wheels in motion for a flourishing woodland to grow within their school grounds.

Over 500 trees have been planted in the school's grounds over the last year by pupils and staff. On 7 March 2013, the entire school got involved with the planting.

Staff at the school, in Grappenhall, hope that the woodland will one day be used for outdoor Forest School classes, and are planning to train as Forest School leaders.

The project was funded by the Big Tree Plant, and designed and coordinated by The Mersey Forest.

Jo Sayers, Community Development Officer at The Mersey Forest, said: "The woodland will provide a diverse range of habitats once it has matured – with a wetland area supported by dogwood and willow trees, and Scots pine and holly trees providing shelter and winter cover. These varied habitats can then be used for both teaching children about the local environment, and for Forest School classes."

The Big Tree Plant is a DEFRA campaign which aims to empower communities to plant 1 million trees by 2015. The Mersey Forest is one of its delivery partners.

A baseline review of the Community Forests and their relationship with the planning process has been published by The Mersey Forest.

The review, written by Tom Ferguson of The Mersey Forest Team with funding from the Forestry Commission and support from England's Community Forests, explores the current situation with regard to Community Forest delivery through planning, and explores future opportunities for the Community Forests.

It comes after the government stated that they would support a Planning and Forestry network in their new Forest Policy Statement, issued in March 2013.

The baseline review acts at a catalyst for the establishment of this group, which is currently being led by The Mersey Forest.

The group is working on an information portal to be launched in 2014 that will enable developers, planners and forestry professionals to gain easy access to the best resources to enable better delivery of forest policy through the planning system.

The document can be downloaded from the link below or viewed on the Community Forests website.

The first phase of the Cheshire Rural Biomass (CheRuB) project is drawing to a close, leaving in its wake a legacy of specially trained biomass installation engineers and a "hub" of renewable energy in Cheshire.

Over the course of the three year project, several biomass boilers have been installed in Mickle Trafford in order to create the Trafford Biomass Hub, which includes Trafford Hall and Trafford Mill.

An additional boiler is set to be installed in the Visitor Centre at Risley Moss Local Nature Reserve in Warrington to conclude this phase of the project.

The systems are almost carbon-neutral, and in certain cases have been proven to reduce carbon emissions by 90% compared to electricity-powered equivalents.

There are other benefits, too: using woodfuel creates a localised supply chain, stimulating local economies.

Volunteers based at Trafford Mill have been fueling their boiler with wood left over from conservation work, and are also now producing locally grown charcoal as part of this project.

Five rural oil heating engineers have been taught how to install modern biomass boilers, which, coupled with the government's Renewable Heat Incentive, increases the probability that these boilers will be adopted by small businesses and home owners in the future.

Nigel Blandford, Timber and Biomass at The Mersey Forest, said: "It's been fantastic to work on this project. Not only have three key sites in Trafford been provided with renewable energy, but we have secured the legacy of the project by ensuring that more systems will be installed in future."

CheRuB is part-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas and DEFRA.

The Mersey Forest Partnership planted over 22,000 trees in Merseyside and North Cheshire over the winter, it has been revealed.

The figure includes over 1000 street trees as part of our Green Streets programme.

The stats reveal that the partnership has restored over 1000 hectares of habitat, boosting biodiversity in the Forest area.

The stats have been collated in preparation for the release of our autumn e-newsletter, which will be issued in September. To sign up for our quarterly e-newsletter, please visit our e-newsletter page.

This summer we're holding a T-shirt design competition, giving one lucky person the opportunity to win five Mersey Forest T-shirts, complete with their winning design.

The theme of the competition is "What do trees mean to you?". Our Facebook and Twitter fans will vote for the best image, and the winner will receive five T-shirts printed with their design.

We'll be also be making a limited number of the winning T-shirts available to buy through a pay-what-you-want scheme - more details on that to follow.

Whether you're a parent looking for activities for the kids over the summer, or a graphic designer wanting to try your hand at T-shirt design, we want to see your ideas. It doesn't matter if you're a pro or have never tried to design anything before - we want to know what trees mean to you.

For guidance on how to enter, see the graphic below.

Please send your designs to mail@merseyforest.org.uk before 12 August. We look forward to hearing from you!

A big thank you to the thousands of people who have helped us plant trees in Merseyside and North Cheshire this winter and spring.

Over 6500 people took part in community tree-planting schemes funded by the Big Tree Plant and Woodland Trust between October 2012 and April 2013.

The schemes included free tree schemes, community orchards, street trees, and the renovation of residential communal land, church grounds, school grounds and sports grounds, in addition to a Jubilee Trees scheme in honour of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.

Everyone from school children to local residents mucked in to make their local areas greener, planting over 20,000 trees including fruit trees and hedgerow trees.

Paul Nolan, director of The Mersey Forest, said: "Thanks to the help we've been given by the local community and the funding from Big Tree Plant and Woodland Trust, we've been able to plant over 20,000 trees this winter and spring.

"This impressive figure, coupled with our other tree-planting schemes, brings us closer to achieving our long term goal of increasing tree cover in Merseyside and North Cheshire by 20%."

The Big Tree Plant is a Defra campaign to encourage people and communities to plant more trees in England's towns, cities and neighbourhoods. The Woodland Trust also contributed funding through their Morewoods Project.

The development of a play area made entirely from natural materials in Glazebury is now under way.

With help from The Mersey Forest Team, local volunteers helped to plant the very first trees on the site in April, forming a hedgerow and the beginnings of a community orchard.

The natural play area will feature climbing and seating areas made from boulders and logs, winding paths, willow domes and den-building areas, and wildlife-friendly hedges, trees and wildflowers.

The site is set to be used to host events and task days for families, including vegetable growing.

The natural play area off Warrington Road is being created on land leased to Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council by Bents Garden Centre. The first phase of the work is being funded through the Parish Council, Cory Environmental Trust in Britain through the Landfill Communities Fund and national Big Tree Plant funding through The Mersey Forest. It is also being supported by Stronger Together Neighbourhoods in Warrington.

Angela Haymonds from Cory Environmental Trust in Britain said: "We're very pleased to be involved with a project that will give children in Glazebury the opportunity to access the benefits of natural play."

Cllr Angela Duncombe said: "It was great to be involved in the first stages of creating a new natural community play area for our village.

"Residents have been involved with the design of the site and will continue to be involved with the creation and ongoing management of the play area.

If you know someone who'd be interested in having their say on our draft long-term Forest Plan, but who doesn't use the internet, they can now read a printed version of the Plan in local libraries.

Printed copies of the draft Plan are available in libraries in Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St.Helens, Warrington and northern areas of Cheshire West and Chester (call 01925 816217 for further details).

The libraries are also stocked with our Freepost postcards so that taking part in the consultation doesn't even cost the price of a stamp.

The first of more than a thousand trees has been planted in Birkenhead, as part of a project to enhance the transport links connecting local neighbourhoods to the Wirral Waters regeneration area.

Project funders Forestry Commission, BIS and Merseytravel joined Peel Holdings, Wirral BC and The Mersey Forest team to plant a Chinese Ginkgo tree at Ilchester Park to mark the beginning of the Wirral Green Streets project, with a community launch event to follow later this year.

The Mersey Forest is helping transform Merseyside and North Cheshire into one of the best places in the country to live - by getting more from trees.

Over the last 20 years our partnership has planted 9 million trees, from creating entire new woodlands to planting thousands of street trees. Two thirds of local residents say their local environment has improved thanks to our work.

Now, we'd love to hear your views as we refresh The Mersey Forest's long-term plan for the decades ahead.

The government has set out its new approach to forestry and woodlands today, with the release of its official response to the Independent Panel on Forestry's Final Report.

Following the controversy surrounding plans for England's public woodlands and forests in 2010, the Independent Panel on Forestry was established to advise the government on the direction of public forestry policy, delivering its final report last summer.

Paul Nolan, Director of The Mersey Forest, said: "We welcome today's announcement – in particular the government's recognition of the benefits of a partnership approach and the importance of Community Forests in supporting and promoting community action on trees and woodlands."

Other key points from the government's response include:

• The government has acknowledged the importance of the Panel's report and "shares its vision for the future of our forests."

• The Public Forest Estate will remain in public ownership.

• A new body will be established to work alongside the Forestry Commission to "hold the [Public Forest] Estate in trust of the nation and manage it for the long-term benefit of people, the economy and the environment."

Thelwall kids mucked in to plant trees at a local park last week, as snow blanketed Warrington.

Year 2 youngsters from Thelwall Infants School planted hedgerow trees alongside the edge of the playing area at Barley Road Park, as part of the next stage of the park's transformation.

Barley Road Park is being redeveloped to include a natural play area, which will feature mushroom stools, stepping rocks, a willow dome and secret passageways, all made from natural materials.

Earlier in the planting season, children from Thelwall Infants also took part in bulb-planting at the site.

Councillor Louise Fernyhough from Thelwall & Grappenhall Parish Council, who has been driving the project forward, said: "It's wonderful to get local children involved in the improvements to the park, which will encourage them to benefit from natural play – and what better way to achieve that than in the snow!"

Alison Rostron, Head Teacher at Thelwall Infants School, said: "We're keen to encourage the children to be outdoors as much as possible. This winter, every class at the school has got involved in tree or bulb planting in some way – whether it's helping to improve Barley Road Park, or planting our school woodland, where we plan to hold outdoor classes."

Thelwall and Grappenhall Parish Council have commissioned the project, which is being coordinated by The Mersey Forest. It is being funded via a Lottery Awards for All grant of £10,000, which was secured by the Parish Council.

With tree-planting season in full swing, The Mersey Forest is helping over 70 schools and community groups to plant trees as part of the Big Tree Plant this winter.

This week, we issued our latest e-newsletters, with headlines including the success of the Elf and Fairy Fair earlier in the summer, the prospect of thousands of new street trees to brighten Merseyside's neighbourhoods, wood-powered heating installed at Trafford Mill in Cheshire, and an update on the Natural Choices programme, which has seen almost 40 community groups work on health and wellbeing projects in Liverpool.

This year the Mersey Forest delivered £1.5 million worth of projects in Merseyside and North Cheshire, producing £10 for every £1 invested in the partnership.

Our newsletters are tailored, so whether you're a woodland professional, an interested member of the public, or represent a local authority, you'll be able to get all of our latest news. To view the right newsletter for you, visit our e-newsletter page.

The next edition of our newsletter is out in spring. To receive a copy, why not become a supporter of The Mersey Forest? It's free and only takes a minute.

Over 120 North West based tree and woodland professionals attended an ash dieback information meeting this week, organised by The Mersey Forest on behalf of the Regional Forestry Forum.

Representatives from councils from all over the North West, including the seven Mersey Forest local authorities, and other organisations, joined a panel of experts from the Woodland Trust, the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) and the Forestry Commission to discuss the ash dieback issue.

The meeting covered issues such as the causes of ash dieback, how organisations are responding across the UK, and a question and answer session.

Ash dieback hit headlines last month when it emerged that ash trees at over 250 sites in the UK are infected with ash dieback disease. The government issued a short-term action plan, which will be followed up with an in depth report which is due to be released this Thursday.

Iain Taylor, the Chair of the Northwest Regional Forestry Forum, said: "Ash dieback is an important issue and it was great to bring experts from all over the North West together today at Myerscough.

"We know from the overwhelming level of interest in this event that people are concerned for their trees and woodlands and want to know how they manage the ash in their area. We are now looking towards the release of the next government action plan, which is due to be issued on Thursday."

Clare Olver from The Mersey Forest, who was responsible for organising the meeting, said: "The meeting was very well-attended - it was great to see so many people concerned about the North West's ash trees.

"We'd also like to say a big thank you to Myerscough College for hosting the meeting."

Update 7/12/12:

Presentations from the event and papers referred to during the discussions are now available on the Regional Forestry Forum website (see foot of documents list).

Warrington Borough Council's Risley Moss Local Nature Reserve has fought off stiff competition from Delamere Forest to be voted North Cheshire and Merseyside's favourite woodland in a recent community consultation by The Mersey Forest.

People from across The Mersey Forest area offered feedback this summer about their local woodlands, using an interactive map to pinpoint their favourite sites, the locations where more woodlands should be planted, and areas where existing woods could be improved.

Risley Moss came out on top as the local area's favourite out of the 207 different woodlands nominated by the public, receiving more than 50 votes.

The survey was part of the public consultation stage of the refresh of The Mersey Forest Plan, which The Mersey Forest Team is currently finalising following discussions with each local authority and other key partners.

The plan, originally written in 1994, outlines the vision, aims and objectives of The Mersey Forest, and sets out how the partnership will achieve these goals.

Over 50 schools and community groups in Merseyside are set to plant commemorative "Jubilee Trees" this winter as part of a project coordinated by The Mersey Forest and Sefton CVS.

The project was officially launched by Dame Lorna Muirhead, the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside with a ceremony in Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on 24 November, which included stories from schools across Merseyside about the project, and a choral evensong marking the end of the Cathedral's celebrations of the Queen's Jubilee year.

Dame Lorna Muirhead said: "I am delighted that so many schools and community groups across Merseyside have chosen to honour the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in this way. In 60 years these trees will be a landmark to commemorate this special year."

"The trees planted as part of this project will serve as a continuing reminder of Her Majesty's lifelong service to this country."

Helen Carty, High Sheriff of Liverpool, who came up with the Jubilee Trees concept, said: "This is a great way to round off a memorable year for the country, and the trees will also help create The Mersey Forest – providing habitat for wildlife, helping to improve air quality, and creating greener, even more attractive school grounds for children to enjoy."

Earlier this year we asked people which local woods they love and where they'd like to see more trees planted. The campaign was a way to help members of the public to be involved in the ongoing refresh of our guiding Mersey Forest Plan.

We created an interactive online map as a visual and fun way for people to participate, and launched this in June. As well as promoting the map via our website, Facebook page and Twitter feed, we took a stickers-and-pens version of the map on the road to the Cheshire County Show, Green Safari Day at Risley Moss and the Southport Flower Show.

We offered the chance to win tickets to Chester Zoo as a prize to encourage people to take part (thanks to Chester Zoo for donating these, and well done to our winner, Sarah Tandy).

The public's excellent response meant that we received a total of 1188 votes and comments over the course of the campaign.

These spanned a staggering 331 different locations:

• 207 locations of favourite trees and woodlands
• 87 suggestions of places where trees are needed
• and 37 suggestions of sites that could be made even better

The Mersey Forest Team has since been busy analysing the whole lot as part of the upcoming refresh of the long-term Mersey Forest Plan which guides our work to create a well-wooded, healthy and prosperous Merseyside and North Cheshire.

A draft of the new document is near complete, which has also incorporated a range of feedback from local authorities and other important stakeholders. The draft will be available for full consultation early in 2013.

We are planning to keep the interactive map "live" as a long-term resource, so if you've not done so already, visit the map to check it out and add your own comments.

The Mersey Forest is set to help over 70 community groups and schools plant trees this winter, as we enter the second year of the Big Tree Plant, a national campaign encouraging people and communities to plant more trees in England's towns, cities and neighbourhoods.

Last year we worked with 68 groups including schools, hospitals and community centres to plant more than 17,600 trees across Merseyside and North Cheshire, surpassing our original targets by over 2,000 trees. This success enabled us to secure £160,000 in extra Big Tree Plant funding, which we'll be putting to good use for the next three years.

This tree planting season (November 2012 to March 2013), we'll be planting new community orchards in Cheshire, in partnership with Cheshire Landscape Trust. In Halton, we'll be expanding a new school woodland at Farnworth Primary School, and will be working with Knowsley MBC to plant over 130 parkland trees.

In Liverpool, we'll be improving the landscape at St Annes and Christian Fellowship Schools with environmental faith charity Faiths for Change, and in Sefton parents and nursery children at Litherland Moss Primary School and Children's Centre will be helping plant a new woodland.

In St.Helens, we'll be refurbishing a fruit growing area in the town centre at St.Helens Launchpad, and in Warrington, we'll be creating a new woodland at Thelwall Primary School, which will be used in the future to teach children outdoors.

If you're part of a school or community group who would like to help green your local community by planting trees, there's still time to let us know. Contact The Mersey Forest Team on 01925 816217.

Big Tree Plant complements the work of ForeStClim – an EU-funded environmental project that looks at forests and climate change across North West Europe. The majority of Big Tree Plant planting schemes focus on urban areas of high deprivation, which are lacking in green space and are therefore most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Community tree planting in The Mersey Forest this winter is also supported by The Woodland Trust.

Children from Thelwall Infant School helped to plant over 1200 bulbs in Barley Road park in November, as part of the transformation of the park which is being coordinated by The Mersey Forest.

The park, in Thelwall, South Warrington, is being redeveloped to include a natural play area, which will feature mushroom stools, stepping rocks, a willow dome and secret passageways, all made from natural materials.

Research has shown that providing facilities for natural play means greater opportunities for imaginative play, reduced risk of injuries, enhanced social interaction between children and higher levels of physical activity.

Thelwall and Grappenhall Parish Council have commissioned the project. It is funded via a Lottery Awards for All grant of £10,000, which was secured by the Parish Council.

It follows the success of a similar project at Grappenhall's Euclid Park in 2011. Euclid Park was transformed when The Mersey Forest planted a community orchard in its grounds, created new seating and added a natural play area of fallen logs and other features (see photos).

Jo Sayers, Community Development Officer at The Mersey Forest, said: "Following the success of the natural play area which we developed at Euclid Park, we are pleased to be involved in this latest project to develop Barley Road Park.

"We had some great feedback from residents in Grappenhall, and we're hoping that children will enjoy the newly refurbished play areas as much as they do at Euclid Park."

You may have heard about the ash dieback disease which has recently been discovered in the UK. To find out what this may mean for our trees here in the North West, read our brief Q&A:

Updated 07/12/2012

What is ash dieback / chalara?
Ash dieback (Chalara fraxinea) is a fungus which has developed in mainland Europe over the past decade, and has been responsible for the death of 60-90% of ash trees in Denmark. It has recently been discovered in south east England and there is a danger that it will spread across the country.

How many of our trees are ash?
In Merseyside and Cheshire, approximately 6% of trees are ash.

What happens to infected trees?

The disease causes leaf loss and crown dieback in affected trees, and it can lead to tree death.

How is the disease spread?

The disease is primarily transmitted through the air, but first entered the UK via infected imported trees from Europe.

How is the UK responding? The Forestry Commission and the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) carried out a national survey on 3/4 November 2012 to assess how far across the country the disease has spread. Following this, the government released a detailed action plan on 6 December, outlining the measures that Defra, the Forestry Commission, and FERA will be taking to combat ash dieback over the coming tree-planting season.

Has it been found in the North West?

You can view confirmed instances of ash dieback on the Forestry Commission's national map available halfway down their ash dieback homepage. At the time of writing (28/11/2012), there are no infected sites in The Mersey Forest area (Merseyside and North Cheshire).

Elsewhere in the North West, the only confirmed instances are within what are termed "recently planted sites" - these are isolated sites which have received young ash trees from a tree nursery or other supplier whose stock was infected.

There are no confirmed instances of infections in "the wider environment" in the region.

What is The Mersey Forest Team doing?
To reduce the likelihood of the disease becoming established in Merseyside and North Cheshire, we are developing a protocol and risk assessment for all of our tree planting and other activities this winter, based upon Forestry Commission guidance. We will be planting no ash trees as part of our programme this year.

As a precaution, sites that received ash trees as part of The Big Tree Plant last planting season in The Mersey Forest have been inspected by FERA.

We also organised an ash dieback information day on behalf of the Regional Forestry Forum, attended by more than 120 woodland professionals from across the North West on 4th December 2012..

What can I do to help?
The government is calling on everybody to keep an eye out for the symptoms of ash dieback when spending time in their woodlands. There are plenty of resources on the Forestry Commission website, including a video, to help you identify the disease.

If you think you have spotted ash dieback, take a photograph of the symptoms and record the exact location of the tree. Inform the Forestry Commission immediately, either by email (plant.health@forestry.gsi.gov.uk) or by calling the Chalara helpline: 08459 33 55 77.

Alternatively, iPhone and Android users can download the Ash Tag smartphone application, which enables you to "tag" potentially infected ash trees and send the information directly to the Forestry Commission. If you don't have a smartphone, you can still submit details of the sighting to the Ash Tag website.

I'm a landowner with ash trees in my woodland. What should I do?

On 7 December, the Forestry Commission published an advice document for landowners, which gives specific advice about what you should do if you have ash trees on your land.

Any questions?

For further information about ash dieback, contact the Forestry Commission. If you would like to discuss any concerns about local sites, please contact The Mersey Forest team on 01925 816217.

"Whether it be the buttery yellows of birches, the vivid reds of sycamores or the burning gold of beech trees, autumn colour is an ephemeral spectacle that is not just confined to a few choice nature reserves, but a treat that can be seen just about anywhere," wrote Mike Dilger for the Guardian earlier in the month.

Autumn has arrived late this year, with the leaves retaining their dazzling colours thanks to the unseasonable warm and wet autumn we've had.

"A walk on the wild-side is also an assault on the senses, so don't forget to use them," continued Mike.

Well done to Sarah Tandy who has won our prize draw as part of our summer-long campaign to find out which woods you love and where you would like to see more trees planted. Sarah added The Woodland Trust's Seeds Plantation as her favourite woodland on our interactive people-powered map and can now enjoy a pair of tickets to Chester Zoo as her prize.

We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to the fantastic total of more than 1000 votes and comments which were added to the map over the course of the campaign, covering more than 300 different locations. You told us about more than 200 places where you appreciate trees and woodlands, as well as over 100 suggestions of where you'd like to see more planted or improved management.

We're now eagerly analysing the whole lot as part of our upcoming refresh of the long-term Mersey Forest Plan which guides our work to create a well-wooded, healthy and prosperous Merseyside and North Cheshire.

Even though the competition is now closed, we are planning to keep the interactive map "live" as a long-term resource, so if you've not done so already, visit the map to check it out and add your own comments.

Following the Independent Panel on Forestry's report, Defra has published the first of a series of short public surveys. This will help shape the Government's decision around the future of England's forests, woods and trees.

With less than 75 days before London 2012 gets out of the blocks, Risley Moss Local Nature Reserve in Birchwood is set for its own bit of Olympic glory, with families invited to a "Running Rings" activity morning this Saturday (19th May).

Opened by local MP Helen Jones, the event will offer young and old the chance to walk, run, skip or amble anything from a couple of hundred metres to a mile around the beautiful nature reserve, with the option to receive a time and a certificate as they cross the giant inflatable finish line.

The morning, which runs from 10am to midday, is part of The Mersey Forest's "Running Rings" project to help people get active and enjoy nature in the build-up to the Games. The project has been awarded the official London 2012 Inspire Mark, with two further activity mornings also scheduled at Risley Moss for Saturday 16th June and Saturday 7th July. The events are co-organised by Warrington Borough Council and local running club Spectrum Striders.

The walks form part of the Tree Council's national 'Walk in the Woods' month, and are organised by a wide range of providers within The Mersey Forest Partnership, from local authority ranger events, to Walking for Health walks to community groups' guided wildlife walks.

Also don't forget, nature lovers can keep exploring the local area at their leisure all summer long thanks to free maps and walk direction packs available from our Discover The Mersey Forest website.

A few years ago, the waste chippings from work like the recent essential rhododendron clearance funded by Natural England and Warrington Borough Council at Risley Moss Local Nature Reserve may have well ended up in a landfill.

However times have changed and waste wood now has a positive role to play in the economy. In the case of the Risley Moss chippings pictured above, this has involved them being sold to a local paper mill as wood fuel.

The large paper mill west of Chester requires massive amounts of steam to produce its paper. A few years back it switched from gas to biomass (wood fuel) for its steam and electricity needs, and now takes large quantities of low grade forestry trimmings and waste wood. It has opened up a whole new market for this material and stimulated a lot of employment as well. Tree surgeons and small firms are investing in wood fuel processing equipment to make better quality fuels. Large firms like Warrington-based Eddie Stobart have set up a specialist division to deal with this expanding trade in renewable fuels.

The first winter of the Big Tree Plant campaign has been a huge success in The Mersey Forest, with more than 17,600 trees planted with local communities in Merseyside and North Cheshire – outstripping our original target for the season by more than 2,000 trees.

The Big Tree Plant has set aside £255,000 over four years for The Mersey Forest to plant trees and create mini-woodlands to brighten our neighbourhoods – and this first planting season, from November 2011 to March 2012, has seen 68 projects reap the benefits, including school grounds, hospitals and community centres.

Congratulations to Warrington volunteers for their recent hard work to keep their local environment tidy.

The volunteers split into different teams across the town, cleaning green spaces in areas including Birchwood, Oakwood and Gorse Covert. The teams managed to pick up an incredible 91 bags of litter from the local woodlands in total.

Nigel Balding, founder of Small Woods of Oakwood Partnership (SWOOP), which participated in the event, said: "Our team of 10 people had a very productive event clearing out 14 big bags of rubbish from Oakwood Woods including three broken blue bins and a variety of wheels, pipes and bits of metal. Some of this litter has been bugging me for several months and it's a great feeling to have helped to removed it."

The clean-up was also supported by other organisations including Stronger Together in Warrington, Friends of Gorse Covert Mounds and Clean up my Community-Warrington.

The volunteers were joined by a film crew from Penketh High School, who videoed the event as part of their Young Enterprise project.

A well-informed recent letter in the Warrington Guardian has highlighted that the debate over the future of England's woodlands is not over yet.

Despite slipping from the national headlines, Great Sankey's Charles Sawyer reminds people that the independent panel set up by the government to create recommendations for future policy is still working towards its final report which will be published this spring.

Mr Sawyer emphasises the importance of having access to local woodlands, highlighting Delamere Forest in particular: "I love it because I live in a built up town and it is my opportunity to get some fresh air, exercise and time to relax." Read the full letter.

Pupils from Glazebury Church of England Primary School have helped green their school grounds as part of The Big Tree Plant.

A parent and helper at the school contacted The Mersey Forest last year to ask for a tree for a memorial garden in the school. It only took one site visit from The Mersey Forest Team for the whole school to gear themselves up for creating an orchard, hedge laying and planting the memorial tree, with funding from The Big Tree Plant.

Pupils from the school planted nine apple trees donated by and with help from the Cheshire Landscape Trust, along with approximately 60m of hedgerow with dogwood, hawthorn and blackthorn; a standard oak tree to complement the existing trees on the edge of the school field, and a copper beech tree in the memorial garden.

The enthusiastic children worked tirelessly, and didn't mind the rain or the mud. The sun came out later, and shone down on their newly planted trees.

A four-year tree planting drive to create a greener, healthier Warrington has been launched. Local residents and members of Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council dug in at a rain-drenched planting morning at the recently revamped Euclid Park to kick off Warrington's part in The Big Tree Plant, the national campaign to get more people planting and caring for trees.

Locally the campaign has set aside £255,000 over the next four years to support tree planting and get people involved in their environment across North Cheshire and Merseyside. The funding for the local area was secured by The Mersey Forest who will use the cash to help community groups and schools to brighten their neighbourhoods with new street trees, woodlands and mini-orchards – starting with hundreds of trees to be planted across Warrington this winter.

Warrington South MP David Mowat took part in the tree planting and said: "The benefits of creating a well-wooded landscape are there for all to see – from providing places to relax and stay fit and healthy, to providing habitat for wildlife, to helping fight climate change. It's excellent to see this new campaign continuing the greening of Warrington's landscape that's already been achieved as part of The Mersey Forest."

He was joined by the Mayor of Warrington, Cllr Mike Biggin, who is Warrington's member for The Mersey Forest and has been involved in the Euclid Park project from the start. He said: "Across the country The Big Tree Plant is aiming to help people plant 1 million trees by 2015. It's great to be part of launching Warrington's contribution, and what better place to do so than at Euclid Park, one of the town's most recent green success stories."

The Mersey Forest's part in the national Big Tree Plant campaign has got off to a great start in recent weeks with a series of community tree planting events that are already making a difference in school grounds, parks, community centres and woodlands across the Forest area.

£255,000 funding secured

The Big Tree Plant has set aside £255,000 over the next four years for The Mersey Forest to plant trees and create mini-woodlands with Merseyside and Cheshire communities, beginning with 120 projects this winter that will see 18,000 trees planted.

Success stories so far

Kicking things off, volunteers from Marston's Lion Salt Works and wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation dug in at a planting morning to help complete the Salt Works' newly created butterfly garden (read press release).

Warrington has caught the outdoor education bug - with many schools wanting to improve their grounds to create outdoor learning environments and help pupils reconnect with nature.

Orchards and new mini-woodlands

The Mersey Forest will be working with seven local primaries this autumn and winter to make their plans a reality, using funding from The Big Tree Plant. The schools are set to benefit from orchards, new mini woodlands and wildlife-friendly hedgerows to create settings for natural play and outdoor learning within their own grounds.

Wheelchair users and other members of the public can now enjoy nature conservation area The Twiggeries more easily, thanks to a revamp of the site's woodland and boardwalk.

Unwelcoming and difficult to access

The wildlife hotspot, located next to Warrington cemetery and consisting of wet woodland and reed beds, was previously unwelcoming to members of the public due to its overgrown willow creating a dark, dense environment. Wheelchair access was difficult due to the site's narrow boardwalks, and the site suffered from the encroachment of invasive, non-native species Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam.

£7,000 funding secured by The Mersey Forest

The Mersey Forest helped landowner Warrington Borough Council to secure nearly £7,000 of funding to improve the site through the Forestry Commission's English Woodland Grant Scheme.

Improvements make woodland more inviting for all

The woodland has now been opened up for the benefit of both wildlife and members of the public. Coppicing the willow around the site's paths and boardwalks has improved light levels and lines of sight, while also helping to improve the age structure of the woodland, making sure the site has a healthy mixture of mature trees and new growth. The increased light in particular has resulted in a thriving and more diverse range of plants growing on the woodland floor. The invasive species are under a programme of control with the aim of eradication.

Wheelchair access improved

Interpretation boards are to be installed to help people learn more about the woodland, and wheelchair access has been improved by widening and developing the boardwalk that spans boggy areas of the site.

As winter approaches, The Mersey Forest is working to give local businesses and residents a renewable choice for their heating, using wood as a fuel.

Online calculator

The Mersey Forest has launched an online calculator to help businesses and consumers explore the financial and carbon benefits of switching to a wood fuel boiler to take advantage of the government's Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

The free tool at www.merseyforest.org.uk/rhicalculator is believed to be the first of its kind, and provides users with estimates of how much they would earn from the RHI, how quickly their boiler would pay for itself, the expected difference in annual fuel bill and what return they could see after 20 years.

It is hoped that the new tool will encourage organisations and residents to emulate the recently opened Hope Academy in Newton-Le-Willows, which has installed a biomass boiler and solar panels which together provide 100% of its heating and hot water requirements.

Off the gas grid

The calculator is already highlighting the particular advantages of biomass for those in off-grid areas whose properties aren't connected to mains gas. In anticipation of these findings, over the past year The Mersey Forest has mapped 'off gas' parts of Cheshire and Warrington, and made contact with businesses in these areas to provide advice on changing away from increasingly expensive alternative fuels such as heating oil and coal.

Enjoy these photos of Grappenhall's revitalised Euclid Park, which has delighted local residents following a major revamp thanks to The Mersey Forest and partners (see previous newsletter story) earlier in 2011.

Funding for the project was secured by The Mersey Forest and Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council (with strong input from Cllr Mike Biggin, Mayor of Warrington) from the Play Pathfinder Programme.

Last winter's outcry over plans for public woodlands led to the announcement of a national review of England's approach to woods and forests. As part of this, The Mersey Forest has been making the case for the importance of community woodlands for people, wildlife and economy.

Visit by Chair of the Independent Panel

Chairing the Independent Panel on Forestry set up to advise the government is the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones. In June, The Mersey Forest and partners took the Bishop to see a brand new community woodland in action and talk to local residents who have benefited from the project.

One year on from being planted, Mab Lane Community Woodland has been named as Merseyside's Neighbourhood Improvement Project of the year and been proclaimed "a brilliant idea" by local residents who say it has "really changed the area".

A "very valuable community resource"

As part of his visit to the woodland, the Bishop heard from members of the local community about the difference that the woodland had made to the area, with local resident Tony Beyga commenting:

"Bishop Jones appeared very impressed with the woodlands and listened to everyone's point of view and took on board all the comments and feedback.

"We hope he took away a positive impression and he could clearly see the amount of hard work and effort that has gone into making the woodland a very valuable community resource."

All at The Mersey Forest wish the Bishop a speedy recovery from his recent ill-health, and we look forward to working with him again soon.

Once you've "Liked" the page, you'll get the latest nature news from The Mersey Forest in your Facebook newsfeed, and you'll be entered into our free draw.

The prize is lunch for two at St.Helens' fantastic Fir Tree Farm Shop and Café, open seven days a week serving a delicious lunchtime menu created from fresh ingredients sourced from local producers or ethically sourced whenever possible.

You can also walk off your lunch at the farm itself, with their range of woodland walks through a landscape that has seen a "huge increase in bird and wildlife populations" thanks to extensive tree planting with The Mersey Forest since 1998.

Prize draw rules
To enter you will need a Facebook account. You can sign up for free at www.facebook.com.

The competition will run from Tuesday 4th October 2011 to Friday 21st October 2011 inclusive, and is open to UK residents aged 18 or over. The winner will be picked at random from those who "Like" The Mersey Forest Facebook page within the above dates.

To be eligible to win, your Facebook privacy settings must be set to "Who can send you Facebook messages? Everyone" in order that we are able to contact the winner. The winner will be requested to contact The Mersey Forest Offices, upon which they will be sent a voucher for lunch at Fir Tree Farm Shop and Café up to the value of £20.00. The voucher covers food from the café only and excludes drinks. The voucher must be used before the end of 2011, and cannot be substituted for a cash alternative.

The winner will be announced at www.facebook.com/merseyforest. Promoted by The Mersey Forest, Risley Moss, Ordnance Avenue, Birchwood, Warrington, WA3 6QX.

Warrington's Risley Moss Local Nature Reserve has been unveiled as the first of seven "Running Rings" sites across The Mersey Forest.

As part of this London 2012 "Inspire" endorsed project, The Mersey Forest is creating a series of circular routes in local community woodlands to help people get active and enjoy nature.

To kick things off, a "Running Rings" activity morning was held in May 2011, with families joining The Mersey Forest, Warrington Borough Council and local running club Spectrum Striders to walk or run anything from a couple of hundred metres to a mile and receive their time and certificate.

Our desktop backgrounds have proved hugely popular - so we have continued to add to our selection of stunning nature and wildlife images taken in The Mersey Forest to use as your backdrop on your computer, all completely free and provided exclusively for our supporters.

Visit our desktop backgrounds blog for three new scenes to choose from (taking the total now available to twelve), ranging from this magnificent peacock butterfly (taken by Helen Lacy) to beautiful autumnal photos of the local area.

Setting your background in three clicks

When you're on the desktop backgrounds blog, click your favourite image to see the large version, then right-click this large version and choose 'Set as desktop background'.

Got your own great nature photos?

We'd love to see any of your own photos of Merseyside and Cheshire's natural environment, especially woodlands or wildlife. You can send them to supporters@merseyforest.org.uk. With the consent of the photographer, the best ones may be used as future desktop backgrounds for people to enjoy, or on the revamped Mersey Forest website due to be launched towards the end of this year.

Woodland bird numbers in the Northwest have increased by 31% since 1994 according to a new study by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

This contrasts with heavy declines in the south, with a drop in numbers of 19% in the South East and 13% in the South West.

The Mersey Forest plays its part

Over the same time period as the study, The Mersey Forest Partnership has planted new woodlands the size of 4,000 football pitches in Merseyside and Cheshire, so we hope to have played a significant part in the success story in the Northwest.

Another positive is that as the many recently planted young woodlands within The Mersey Forest area grow and mature, they will continue to aid our much-loved wildlife for decades to come.

More than a thousand people celebrated two decades of The Mersey Forest at a "carnival in the woods" this summer.

8 million trees planted in 20 years

The event at Risley Moss Local Nature Reserve in Warrington was held to thank all those who've been involved in planting more than 8 million trees across Merseyside and North Cheshire over the past twenty years.

The carnival was opened by Chair of the Forestry Commission Pam Warhurst, Warrington North MP Helen Jones, and Chair of Risley Moss Action Group, Andy Pearson.

Action-packed day

Activities throughout the day included storytelling woodland walks, den building, puppet shows and willow weaving, with the soundtrack to the carnival provided by innovative musicians Urban Strawberry Lunch who perform using recycled instruments made from junk.

An online activity pack for training community groups in climate change adaptation has been launched by Community Forests Northwest on behalf of Liverpool City Council. The training resource helps groups to explore how street trees, private gardens, school grounds and other green spaces can help us cope with some of the challenges - and enjoy some of the benefits - that climate change may bring.

"Friends of" groups and schools

The materials were developed in consultation with groups from across the North West of England, and are intended to be used by the likes of "friends of" groups, resident associations, primary and secondary school groups, faith and low carbon community groups.

Games and pledges

From presentations explaining the term "green infrastructure" to a game where participants develop a solid understanding of the difference between climate change adaptation and mitigation, the community adaptation training comprises a range of different activities suitable for all kinds of community groups with varying degrees of knowledge and interests in the subject. A pledge of action after the training session motivates trainees to consider their own impact on their local environment in their daily lives.

Tips for practitioners

The website also showcases tips for the practitioner leading the training, such as advice for how much time to give to each activity, what level of understanding certain groups may have, and what kind of equipment may be useful.

A new Framework for Action developed by Community Forests Northwest showing how our green spaces in the North West of England can help fight climate change has been launched.

It sets out how our parks, gardens, trees, green roofs, rivers, and floodplains can be used to mitigate and adapt to climate change in Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Merseyside.

Climate change is considered one of the greatest threats to our social well being and economic future. Using natural, or green infrastructure, interventions is increasingly recognised as a 'win-win' approach to combating climate change as they provide multiple other social, economic and environmental benefits.

The new Framework for Action sets out comprehensive actions to ensure that green infrastructure is planned, designed, and managed by all relevant stakeholders, involving and engaging local communities, in order to combat climate change and deliver wider benefits.

The Mersey Forest was one of 19 winners this summer of The Guardian national newspaper's competition to sum up the importance of nature through photographs.

The above photo was taken by our regular photographers McCoy Wynne in Little Crosby in Merseyside, and chosen for showing nature as a place for fun and family, and how exploring green spaces improves our physical health and mental wellbeing.

See the other winners

It's well worth checking out the other fantastic shots in The Guardian's online gallery of the winning photos, which were also displayed at the 2011 World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University.

Got your own great nature photos?

We'd love to see any of your own photos of Merseyside and Cheshire's natural environment, especially woodlands or local wildlife. You can send them to supporters@merseyforest.org.uk. With the consent of the photographer, the best ones may be used on the revamped Mersey Forest website due to be launched towards the end of this year, or as one of our popular desktop backgrounds for our supporters.

Over the past five years, The Mersey Forest has delivered a £1 million boost to local woodlands in Cheshire and Merseyside.

English Woodland Grant Scheme

The Forestry Commission has helped The Mersey Forest achieve its goals by providing funding through its English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) to organisations such as local authorities to help plant trees, manage existing areas of woodland, boost access to areas of woodland by creating footpaths and improve wildlife.

After a winter when the future of England's public woodlands has stirred public passions and dominated the headlines, The Mersey Forest welcomes the chance to engage with the newly announced independent panel on the issue, which will report back to government in the autumn.

Too important to get wrong

Our trees and woodlands provide huge benefits to our economy, society and wildlife, and as such, public forestry policy is far too important to get wrong.

We welcome the appointment as chair of the panel of the Right Reverend James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, who has been a strong supporter of The Mersey Forest for many years.

20 years of experience

The Mersey Forest believes there is a need for more community engagement and involvement in all woodlands, including on the Public Forest Estate. However, our experience of community forestry over the past 20 years has been that groups need support to make this a reality and take on stewardship of sites.

This is especially true in areas where community woodlands are likely to be of greatest value, where there may be relatively few people with the connections, capital and experience needed to manage them effectively for public benefit.

Read more in our paper

You can read more about the importance of community forestry in our paper on the public forests debate published earlier this year.

The Mersey Forest has helped children and staff from Oakwood Avenue Primary School to undertake a huge project to convert the playing field next to their school into a woodland, christened "Oaky Wood", as part of a week of environmental activity at the school.

500 new trees planted

Planting days on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th March saw 500 new trees planted by pupils, teachers, council staff, local businesses and parents. The planting included hedgerows, hazel and willow copses and a selection of other native trees, including oaks from which the local area gets its name.

Helen Collins from The Mersey Forest co-ordinated the planting and gave a special assembly to the children in its run-up.

Further improvements

Improvements were also made within the school's allotment, where a pond has been created and a tree that had to be removed has been "recycled" into a chainsaw carving.

Green Grant

Miss Gartland, the outdoor learning co-ordinator at the school, secured a Green Grant of £2,000 to fund the project from First Transpennine and the Forestry Commission. The project has set a great example of how to become a more sustainable school as well as help to improve the wider local environment.

Residents in Grappenhall and Thelwall have been thrilled with the green revamp of Euclid Park that has taken place this spring, achieved with funding secured by The Mersey Forest and Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council from the Play Pathfinder Programme.

Transformed

The previously drab and uninteresting park has been brought to life with a 'natural play' area of logs for children to clamber upon, new buggy and bicycle-friendly paths, new trees, more colourful shrubs, new seating, a community orchard of apple, cherry, pear and plum trees, and an edible fruit hedge, planted by residents themselves at a community planting day (pictured).

Great feedback

Cllr Mike Biggin, chair of Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council and member of The Mersey Forest steering group, said: "Use of the park has rapidly increased, from joggers, to parents having to drag eager youngsters off the logs, to mums pushing babies through the park rather than along the road. Groups of young people gravitate to the bench. It's wonderful and a living part of the area at last!"

The verdict was echoed by children enjoying the natural play area who said that: "This park is now really cool!" and a local mum who commented that she would now bring her little boy to the park more often so that he could ride his bike, thanks to the new paths.

Involving local schools

Two local schools have been involved in the project. Children from Bradshaw Lane Primary carried out hedge and bulb planting to brighten the site, and to complete the project pupils from St.Wilfrid's C.E. Primary School have helped to create welcoming entrance artwork to invite people into the park.

Choose from a growing selection of stunning nature and wildlife images taken in The Mersey Forest to use as your desktop background, all completely free and provided exclusively for our supporters.

Visit our desktop backgrounds blog for three new scenes to choose from (taking the total now available to nine), ranging from these fantastic bluebells (taken by Mike Roberts at Sherdley Park, St.Helens) to beautiful wildlife photos taken in the local area.

Setting your background in three clicks

When you're on the desktop backgrounds blog, click your favourite image to see the large version, then right-click this large version and choose 'Set as desktop background'.

We'll continue to add new photos to the blog in time for each newsletter. Enjoy!

As part of the International Year of Forests, everyone can now do a little something to help our trees.

Raising awareness

The Mersey Forest is a supporter of Love Forests, the project which aims to bring people together with local and global organisations in order to raise awareness of the importance of forests.

Top tips

The campaign suggests some easy ways in which to be green and help woodlands and forests by making a few changes to your daily routine. Ideas include:

>> Buy toilet roll with the FSC logo (Forest Stewardship Council)

>> Make sure any DIY products you buy (like decking or flooring) are made from sustainably sourced timber

>> Plant a tree

>> Visit local woodlands or forests regularly

>> Try out a UK holiday this summer in a log cabin

Make a pledge

Individuals can commit to the above ideas and more as pledges they wish to carry out over this year and submit them on the Love Forests website, Facebook, or Twitter as well as post the reasons that they love forests.

2011 - International Year of Forests

2011 has been declared International Year of Forests by the United Nations General Assembly. The Year of Forests will raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.

The Liverpool culture blog Seven Streets has composed a list to highlight their favourite local woodlands and to celebrate the woods and forests on our doorstep in Merseyside.

Planted and supported by The Mersey Forest

The article includes several woodlands that The Mersey Forest has helped to create such as Mab Lane, the community forest in West Derby, and Bidston Moss, a refuse tip transformed into thriving community woodland.

The Mersey Forest also helps to support the running of a number of these woodlands, for example at Mill Wood where the local community group receives assistance to help look after their woodland.

Read the list and add your suggestions

Why not visit the page to see if your favourite has made the list, or to add a comment and suggest your own cherished woodland?

Since 2007 our popular walking and cycling website Discover The Mersey Forest has helped people from across the Forest area to find places to explore on their doorstep, with visitors having downloaded more than 13,000 'route packs' of maps and directions for walks, bike rides and horse riding routes.

Now the site has been re-launched with an improved interface and new places to explore to help get even more people active.

Making it easier to discover places to keep fit

The new site's simplified layout makes it quicker than ever to get inspired and find a route on your doorstep within a single click.

The range of activities to choose from has also been increased, and visitors can now pick from almost 100 local walks, rides and woodlands.

London 2012 Games - Inspire programme

Discover The Mersey Forest also now has a dedicated page about our Running Rings project to create a series of woodland fitness routes as part of the London 2012 Games.

2011 has been declared International Year of Forests by the United Nations General Assembly. The Year of Forests will raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.

Sustainable woodlands in The Mersey Forest

The announcement is welcomed by The Mersey Forest Partnership, whose work at the local level has made its own important contribution to these themes in recent years. For example, all woodlands owned by St.Helens Council and Sefton Council are now certified as sustainably managed to international standards - with timber from the woodlands able to carry the well-known FSC logo. Knowsley Council is also on the path to achieving this certification for its woodlands.

20 years of community forestry

Next year will also coincide with the 20th anniversary of the start of The Mersey Forest. In 1991 The Mersey Forest was established, and a small Forest Team began work to prepare The Mersey Forest Plan for the environmental regeneration of the local area, which was launched in 1994.

Since then The Mersey Forest Partnership has planted more than 8 million trees and engaged more than 100,000 people from communities across North Cheshire and Merseyside.

To celebrate the 20th birthday of the Forest, a 'thank you' event for all those who have contributed to the greening of the local area over the course of two decades will be held at Risley Moss Local Nature Reserve in June, as part of the reserve's annual Green Safari festival.

Merseyside and North Cheshire will benefit from new woodland the size of 10 football pitches this winter thanks to an action-packed schedule to green more than 80 local sites across The Mersey Forest area.

Community involvement and healthy eating

The new planting will get a wide range of groups involved in their local environment, from schools to community volunteers. Bringing even more benefits, the new greenery will include 200 fruit trees to encourage healthy eating and encourage a greater appreciation of where our food comes from.

Delivering The Big Tree Plant

The busy winter programme shows how well-placed The Mersey Forest is to deliver The Big Tree Plant, the government's new tree planting campaign launched earlier this month.

The Big Tree Plant campaign will encourage community groups, organisations and individuals to plant and care for trees in towns, cities and residential areas across England.

Funding available

£4.2 million funding will be available between 2011 and 2015 for groups to carry out tree planting projects in their area, with information on how to apply for funding available at www.direct.gov.uk/thebigtreeplant or by calling The Mersey Forest Offices on 01925 816217.

Environmental charity BTCV has helped volunteers in The Mersey Forest to contribute a staggering 8,887 work days in the last 12 months to transform community green spaces and plant thousands of trees.

The volunteers' efforts equate to more than £400,000 worth of work at sites across Merseyside and Cheshire, measured at £50 per volunteer per day.

Engaging young people

Young people, some of whom had previously not been involved in any green activity, have now taken up volunteering to improve their local environment thanks to the scheme, and more than 1,200 work days were undertaken this year by 16 to 25 year-olds.

Four volunteers secure jobs

Four people have secured employment thanks to their volunteering, after gaining vital experience as BTCV Volunteer Officers. By offering the chance to organise real projects, these voluntary positions provide a way to break the vicious of cycle of "no experience = no job = no experience" faced by so many young people.

Get involved!

If you would like to get involved in green volunteering in The Mersey Forest with BTCV, contact Neil McMahon (for Merseyside enquiries) at n.mcmahon@btcv.org.uk or on 0151 423 4433 or Pete Attwood (for Cheshire enquiries) at p.attwood@btcv.org.uk or on 01244 300230.

The Mersey Forest has secured more than £48,000 worth of grants in 2009/10 to improve woodlands and support landowners in Warrington.

Access for families

Popular bird-watching beauty spot Moore Nature Reserve will benefit from new paths to improve access for families and visitors, as well as receiving important woodland management work.

New woodland

Meanwhile in Culcheth, Ratcliffe House Farm is benefiting from a new woodland the size of five football pitches. The new woodland will not only provide excellent habitats for wildlife, as it grows it will also come to provide a sustainable woodfuel resource for the farm house, with the owners aiming over time to become energy self-sufficient.

Return on investment

The securing of nearly £50,000 in grants represents a two-and-a-half-fold return on the Council's annual contribution of £18,155 to The Mersey Forest, even before considering the range of other services provided by the Forest.

The grants were secured from the Forestry Commission's English Woodland Grant Scheme.

Get a view of beautiful local woodlands even when in front of your computer, with The Mersey Forest's free desktop backgrounds provided exclusively for our supporters.

Visit our desktop backgrounds blog for six colourful scenes to choose from, ranging from these autumnal leaves at Church Wood in Whitegate, Cheshire, to beautiful wildlife photos taken in the local area.

Setting your background in three clicks

When you're on the desktop backgrounds blog, click your favourite image to see the large version, then right-click this large version and choose 'Set as desktop background'.

The chance for all to get involved in the 2012 Games is coming to Merseyside and Cheshire thanks to a Mersey Forest health and fitness project that has been awarded the London 2012 Inspire mark.

The Inspire programme brings the benefits of the 2012 Games to every part of the UK, giving millions the opportunity to participate as never before.

Circular routes

Within Merseyside and Cheshire, The Mersey Forest Partnership will create a series of circular 'ring routes' in local community woodlands to help people keep fit and enjoy nature - potentially including the following sites:

Cheshire West and Chester
>> Northwich Woodlands, the emerging Forest Park just north of the town centre.

Halton
>> Halton Local Nature Reserve, Dorchester Park.

Knowsley
>> Stadt Moers Park between Whiston and Huyton.

Liverpool
>> Sefton Park and at Mab Lane, the new community woodland in West Derby.

The routes, dubbed 'Running Rings', will give residents and visitors inspired by London 2012 the chance to get involved with opportunities right on their doorstep. The Running Rings will provide a place for green exercise as well as a way to get involved in planting trees with communities and schools to provide a long term legacy for London 2012.

Next steps

Partners in The Mersey Forest including the Forestry Commission, Cheshire West and Chester and the area's other local authorities have all shown strong interest in the project as it moves to its next exciting stage of development, with Running Rings locations being finalised.

Online walking and cycling maps from The Mersey Forest are helping thousands of local people find new ways to get fit and enjoy the outdoors.

Downloadable maps

The Discover The Mersey Forest website provides free 'route packs' of directions and maps for more than 40 walking, cycling and horse riding routes in the region, as well as ideas for dozens of different woodlands to visit.

13,000 route packs downloaded

People looking for ways to stay active and explore their local environment have already downloaded more than 13,000 route packs, and with a revamp of the website coming later this year with a new interface and brand new routes, the popularity of the site is set to continue.

Google Grant worth £75k

Much of the traffic to the site is driven by a grant secured by The Mersey Forest from Google. The grant, worth up to £75,000 per year, provides ongoing free advertising on Google to direct anyone in the local area searching for walks, cycle rides or even gym membership towards the free resources on offer at the Discover The Mersey Forest website.

Walton Parish Council have pioneered a street tree scheme with residents at its heart, with support from The Mersey Forest.

Advice built on experience

The Mersey Forest's Green Streets Co-ordinator attended a series of meetings with Walton Parish Council to help advise on the scheme, working in partnership with Warrington Borough Council's Tree Officer to offer guidance on species and location.

Residents engaged to choose their trees

The Parish Council then got residents heavily involved, with 50 local people responding to a questionnaire to give their opinions on desired tree location, species and their willingness to water their new trees.

Residents were given a choice of seven different tree types suitable for residential street planting. Some residents got together to discuss tree species and chose to plant a single species down their street.

29 trees now planted

Thanks to this work, 29 new street trees have now been planted on Stetchworth Road and Mertoun Road. A small number of the trees were damaged following the planting, however residents were happy to help repair the damage where they could - showing the benefits of giving people a sense of 'ownership' of their street environment.

Value for money

The project offered excellent value for money, with the trees costing £4,060, funded by compensatory funds from the Creamfields festival, £1000 from the Stronger Together fund, and Parish Council funding. The clear benefits of the project will last for many years to come, from improving the aesthetics of the neighbourhood, to helping combat climate change, and enhancing the area's sense of community by getting people working together.

Volunteer groups and schools have benefited from 7,000 new trees to store carbon and fight climate change in 2009/10 thanks to a partnership between The Mersey Forest and Foundation.

Climate fund

Foundation is a climate fund for the Northwest which uses donations from businesses, individuals and other organisations to support community-based carbon reduction projects across the region.

30 sites across the Forest area

Working with The Mersey Forest, Foundation funding of more than £10,000 has enabled tree planting and other environmental improvements at 30 sites across the Forest area, with volunteers and families involved in planting events to get the whole community involved.

The Mersey Forest has provided support for wildflower planting in Great Sankey along the important A57 gateway into the town. The planting formed part of Warrington Council's borough-wide wildflower programme, helping local communities to brighten their neighbourhoods and improve biodiversity.

Hugely popular

Cllr Trudi Wood, representing Great Sankey North, said: "This has been hugely popular. Usually my phone lights up when something has gone wrong but people have been going out of their way to thank me for these beautiful flowers. I am very grateful to The Mersey Forest for funding this project."

Greening our neighbourhoods

The project is a good example of the greening of local neighbourhoods that takes place thanks to The Mersey Forest - with two thirds of residents confirming in a recent survey that they have seen their local environment improve in the last decade. Read more about the survey results.

Two thirds of local people have seen an improvement in their environment over the past decade, a recent survey shows.

More than 65% of residents remarked on the increase in woodlands, street trees and other habitats in a poll by The Mersey Forest - with a 'supporter drive' being launched to ensure that the greening of Merseyside and Cheshire continues to go from strength to strength.

Hard work recognised

Councillor Richard Short, Executive Member for Culture and Recreation said: "As a core partner in The Mersey Forest managing some 40 country parks, the council is delighted to see the hard work to green our neighbourhoods being recognised by local people. The best news of all is that as the young trees and woodlands mature and as even more are planted, the benefits for people, wildlife and the economy will become even greater."

Overwhelming support

The survey found that more than 90% of people support having a Community Forest in their area, and The Mersey Forest is now harnessing this public backing through its new 'supporters' initiative.

Launched in June 2010, at the time of writing already nearly 900 members of the public have signed up as supporters of the Forest, to show their appreciation for the greening of their neighbourhoods and to keep in touch with the latest news and green events to get involved in.

The Mersey Forest is contributing to and learning from green infrastructure best practice at a European level while also developing training for local community groups at home.

European GRaBS project

The Mersey Forest and sister project Red Rose Forest (both working on behalf of the Northwest Regional Development Agency) are now part of the European Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and Eco Towns (GRaBS) project.

This has allowed the Forests to continue their work exploring the potential for green infrastructure (what is this?) to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts, whilst enabling them to work with experts from across Europe to learn best practice and collaborate on solutions to similar challenges.

The Mersey Forest is also one of 21 European partners in ForeStClim, an EU-funded forestry and climate change project that runs until December 2012.

Draft action plan

As part of the GRaBS project, The Mersey Forest has developed a draft action plan now open for consultation entitled: 'Green Infrastructure to Combat Climate Change: Action Plan for Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside'.

The consultation will run until 29th October with workshops also being held. The aim is to complete the final action plan by the end of 2010, with a key challenge being to embed the action plan in newly emerging structures.

If your car has bitten the dust and needs to be scrapped, you can now dispose of it sustainably, speedily and for free with Give A Car, a social enterprise who donate £80 towards tree planting in The Mersey Forest for each car they receive.

Give A Car arranges for the completely free pick-up and disposal or auction of your vehicle, and a donation generated from the sale or scrap of the car is then directed to your chosen registered charity, The Mersey Forest. Every car that is disposed of through the scheme is recycled to high environmental standards and could raise an average of £80 for tree planting in the local area.

"I'd recommend it to anyone"

Rachael Featherstone donated her car with Give A Car and said: "It was so easy, completely hassle free and everyone was so helpful, I'd recommend it to anyone looking to get rid of their old car."

How to donate your scrap car:

To donate your car, simply fill in the quick and easy form on the Give A Car website, or call 0200 011 1664 and quote The Mersey Forest as your chosen charity.

The Forest Park for the area of nature reserves, green spaces and bird-watching locations that lie between Runcorn-Widnes bridge and Warrington has taken further strides forward with appointment of Artery of Life Officer Anthony Brandreth, who started work at the end of 2009.

Four-year post

This is the Natural England's Access to Nature funded post for the next four years working across both Halton and Warrington, particularly with secondary schools. Some of the work is to help deliver some physical improvements on the ground, starting with Gatewarth in Warrington, and then looking at a new wetland reserve for Manor Park in Runcorn. Anthony's main role is to put people in touch with local sites and nature and provide people with opportunities for getting involved in the environment and to foster ownership of local sites.

The principle aim is to use the Mersey Estuary to encourage more people to understand, appreciate and enjoy the outdoors. The funding will be particularly targeted at engaging secondary school pupils and the over-60s.

Work is underway to transform a derelict section of the Woolston New Cut Canal and create an urban ecology park on neighbouring under-used land.

The 400m stretch of the canal, owned by Peel, has lain derelict for decades, with contamination of the silt within the canal bed making affordable options for its rehabilitation very limited.

Innovative solution

Green compost and recycled materials are being used as part of an innovative solution which followed a long period of behind-the-scenes work by partners including Warrington Borough Council, Peel, the Environment Agency, Liverpool John Moores University, and funders WRAP and the NWDA's REVIVE initiative.

The ecology park is being created on Council land adjacent to the canal and will link to the neighbouring Paddington Meadows Local Nature Reserve.

Demonstration project

The project will be completed this summer, and will be promoted nationally by WRAP as a demonstration project showing the benefits of using compost in an innovative way.

Access to the site will be improved and interpretative information provided for the area. Following completion, monitoring of soil samples will be carried out by the university for several years, local groundwater will be monitored by consultants, and the site will be managed as part of the borough's urban green space network.

Individuals, community groups and businesses across The Mersey Forest could switch to wood fuel to heat their buildings thanks to the financially attractive incoming Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

The Department of Energy and Climate Change scheme will come into force in April 2011 and will provide annual payments for 15 years to those using green heating oil, biomass, ground source heat pumps and other low carbon heating technologies.

Regional expertise

In the North West, The Mersey Forest is using its expertise in the wood fuel sector to advise on the ways in which the RHI will change the energy landscape.

The Forest Team is producing a report for St.Helens Council on the potential roll out of biomass boilers and the extent to which wood fuel can be grown within the borough. In Cheshire and Warrington, the Forest is working with the Northwest Regional Development Agency and the Cheshire & Warrington Economic Alliance to contact businesses not connected to mains gas that have the most to benefit from the RHI.

More and more local children are re-connecting with nature and receiving an enriched education thanks to the success of the Forest School programme run by The Mersey Forest which is inspiring schools across Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington.

What is Forest School?

Forest Schools is an approach which has been practiced in Scandinavia since the 1950s and involves regular outdoor lessons in woodland environments. It has been shown to improve children's confidence and self-esteem as well as rebuilding youngsters' affinity with the natural environment.

Impact of The Mersey Forest

The Mersey Forest has been encouraging Forest Schools to be set up in the local area through the creation of a new Cheshire-wide Forest School cluster group (which includes Halton and Warrington) supported by the Forest Education Initiative.

In Halton, The Mersey Forest Team has met with six Runcorn schools to propose the benefits of using their school sites for Forest School, and soon a number of the schools will have trained Forest School Leaders to help establish Forest Schools.

With funding from Natural England, we have also been working with schools, including Westfield and Windmill Hill Primarys and Cavendish Special School, to enhance their sites through wildflower seed sowing, tree planting and use and manage natural materials.

Forest School sessions are also taking place at a number of Cheshire schools including Kingsmead Primary and Hartford Manor Community Primary in Northwich and Christchurch Primary in Ellesmere Port.

Site visits

In February, Halton's elected member for The Mersey Forest, Cllr Steff Nelson, and MP Derek Twigg visited Westfield to see the Forest School project, and Natural England visited Windmill Hill with MP Mike Hall to see their newly developed woodland area. The school has won a People's Millions award of £50,000 to develop the area further and link it to the neighbouring Woodland Trust site.

Training up more Forest School Leaders

With funding from Natural England another three independent Forest School Leaders have been trained to spread the message and get delivering the curriculum outdoors.

The Mersey Forest Team has also met with Cheshire West and Chester's Ranger Service to propose the benefits of using green Council sites for Forest School. Soon the rangers will have a trained Forest School Leader to help groups establish Forest Schools.

Alongside The Mersey Forest's successful record of drawing in funding for public and private landowners to create woodland through the Forestry Commission's EWGS scheme (£285,000 in the last year alone), a further opportunity to create woodlands in the local area has been launched.

Partnership with the Woodland Trust

The Forest is teaming up with The Woodland Trust to promote the Trust's new MOREwoods project.

The Mersey Forest will plug into its unparalleled links with landowners across Merseyside and North Cheshire to encourage the uptake of the MOREwoods scheme to create native woodland on our doorsteps throughout 2010 and beyond.

The new woodlands will themselves also create excellent value for the region, helping to boost people's health, improve the image of our towns and cities and help adapt the landscape to climate change.

Working with The Mersey Forest, thousands of people have got involved in tree planting this season to improve their local environment.

From November 2009 to March 2010 the Forest has been busy with a whole range of planting schemes including school grounds improvements, Forest School creation and enhancement both within and outside school grounds, planting on village greens and projects with faith groups, our Friends of the Woodland groups and a fire station to name but a few.

During National Tree Week in November and December, groups across The Mersey Forest took part in the nationwide BBC co-ordinated Tree O'Clock world record planting attempt (see this report from our Christmas newsletter), with one event alone mustering an impressive 170 trees in just 28 minutes with help from parents and nursery children.

All of this activity means that by the end of March we will have planted over 10 hectares (an area the size of 14 football pitches) including trees for open areas, trees for hedgerows and fruit trees.

This would not have been possible without funding from Foundation (a climate fund for the Northwest), the Last Call project at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Cory Environmental Trust and Natural England.

New street trees for local communities in Merseyside and North Cheshire are helping to improve people's health, combat climate change and brighten neighbourhoods thanks to the latest projects by The Mersey Forest's Green Streets programme.

Ever-increasing demand

In south St.Helens, where over 100 street trees have already been planted in the borough's Bold and Parr estates, ambitious plans have been announced for a new Green Streets delivery in order to meet the ever-increasing demand for street trees in the area.

Enhancing business parks

In nearby Haydock, 55 street and hedgerow trees have been planted to enhance a busy gateway to St.Helens and to improve the image for investment in two business parks.

Realising community's vision

Communities in Seaforth in Sefton are also set to benefit, with 30 new street trees being planted in a project that has enabled local residents to be at the heart of improving their neighbourhood's environment.

The trees will fulfill the vision of Seaforth Residents Action Group whose members wanted street trees along their high street to link residential areas to local green space and shops.

Read more

To read more about these projects, including the range of funders and partners involved in making these achievements possible, visit these case studies:

Communities in the Northwest are £2m per year better off thanks to new woodlands created by just one of The Mersey Forest's funding streams.

Research was carried out by Regeneris Consulting into the economic impact of Mersey Forest projects funded by the European Union's Merseyside Objective One programme.

The study looked at a range of benefits that result from the new green spaces (like fresh air and exercise) and then developed a model that put a monetary value on each one.

Top of the list, with a value of more than £900,000 a year across the region, is the benefit of having a woodland view, either from home or on a regular journey, such as the daily commute to work.

The Forest also brings great advantages in terms of health and wellbeing. Tree planting reduces air pollution - which can contribute to asthma and strokes, for example - and this was calculated to bring benefits worth over £100,000 a year.

In total over the next 50 years, the £7m Objective One funding (which has now ended) will generate an extra £70m of benefits.

The impact of a green infrastructure prospectus commissioned by Community Forests North West (the charity supporting The Mersey Forest, Red Rose Forest and Pennine Edge Forest) and Natural England, has been recognised at the Landscape Institute Awards 2009.

The prospectus by consultants TEP set the context and identified the priorities for improving the planning and delivery of green infrastructure in the Liverpool and Manchester City Regions. At a time when green infrastructure was a less-familiar concept than it is now, the project presented a vision for the city regions that placed environmental improvements alongside built development: at the core of delivering sustainable communities and quality of life.

A long way in four years

Four years on, green infrastructure is now embedded in the Regional Spatial Strategy, we have a North West Green Infrastructure guide and website, both Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region are now developing green infrastructure frameworks, and the green infrastructure approach is informing regeneration initiatives across the region.

As a result the prospectus's key commitments and recommendations to combat shortfalls in policy and action have now all either been achieved or are underway - with a new set of priorities now emerging for the decade to come.

Volunteers and community groups from across The Mersey Forest teamed up this month for a Guinness World Record attempt to plant as many trees as possible in one hour across multiple locations.

The BBC Breathing Places event saw The Friends of Griffin Wood (check out their new blog) team up with St.Helens' Ramblers to plant over 100 trees at Griffin Wood, the Friends of Anderton and Marbury plant 80 trees (report here), and Speke's Friends of Mill Wood and Alder Wood collaborating with Lancashire Wildlife Trust to plant 400 trees.

With further tree planting happening at Church Wood in Whitegate, Cheshire, and at Kentmere Avenue allotments, St.Helens, all involved are waiting with baited breath to see if the current record of 653,000 trees nationwide has been broken.

At the time of writing, the final totals are still being feverishly calculated at BBC HQ, so keep an eye on the Tree O'Clock website for the latest news.

Children and their families are reconnecting with nature thanks to the Forest's new Natural Play programme.

The project combats children's increasing isolation from the natural world arising from greatly reduced freedom to roam and society's increased fear of risk. By helping children to discover their natural environment The Mersey Forest is:

The Mersey Forest has worked in partnership with Warrington-based electrical company Premium Appliance Brands to transform a local school's grounds for the benefit of pupils and the environment alike.

The company, based in Centre Park near Bank Quay station, funded the project at St.Benedict's RC Primary School to mark the start of their 'green' drive to become the first carbon neutral white goods company in the UK.

Healthy garden

The project was coordinated by The Mersey Forest, and saw the creation of a healthy garden for the school, featuring raised flowerbeds and paths, a wildflower meadow area and sensory plants of lavender, rosemary and thyme.

Cllr Mike Biggin, Warrington Borough Council's member for The Mersey Forest, was also involved in the project, visiting the school to help pupils plant a selection of fruit trees to complete the school's green makeover.

The Mersey Forest continues to play a key role in the region's response to climate change. As part of the North West Climate Change Action Plan we are exploring, together with Manchester's Red Rose Forest, the potential for green infrastructure to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts in North West England.

Green infrastructure is the network of green and blue spaces within and between our cities, towns and villages. It can help to both reduce levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (climate change mitigation) and to enable us to better cope with climate impacts that are now already inevitable (climate change adaptation).

Reducing greenhouse gases

Green infrastructure can help reduce greenhouse gases through the production of biofuels to replace fossil fuels; the production of timber to replace materials with higher embedded energy; local food production reducing 'food miles'; carbon storage and sequestration (the 'locking up' of carbon dioxide within plants); and providing local recreation opportunities and alternative transport corridors which reduce the need to travel by car.

Adapting to climate change

In the UK where climate projections suggest warmer wetter winters and hotter drier summers, with more extreme events such as heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfall the adaptation role of green infrastructure is perhaps more significant. It includes: managing urban temperatures to ensure that towns and cities continue to be attractive and comfortable places to live, work, visit and invest; reducing flood risk and managing surface water; allowing wildlife to move northwards to new 'climate spaces' through a better connected landscape; providing resources for a more outdoors lifestyle, and helping to divert pressure from landscapes which are sensitive to climate change.

Local authorities could save significant money by installing biomass boilers to heat buildings using woodfuel, in the face of a new mandatory emissions reduction scheme which will impose financial penalties on local Councils for excessive carbon emissions.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) comes into force in April 2010, and aims to reduce carbon emissions in large non-energy intensive organisations such as local authorities by 1.2 million tonnes of carbon per year by 2020, with an initial price per tonne of £12 to be charged.

It is estimated that an authority the size of Liverpool City Council could have to pay £50,000 for the heating of its primary schools alone if they remain heated by fossil fuels.

Public league table

Organisations will be ranked in a publicly viewable league table with the prospect of either financial loss or gain, dependent upon their emissions reduction performance.

With transport emissions excluded from the scheme, heating will be one of the main factors affecting how local authorities will perform. One of the best ways to reduce this area of Councils' emissions is to switch to biomass boilers which create heat by using replenishable wood as fuel.

Schools already leading the switch-over

This path is already being followed by several schools in the Forest area as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme, with the schools installing biomass boilers to reduce their carbon footprint for heating to virtually nil.

To read more about the Carbon Reduction Commitment, see the Department for Energy & Climate Change's introduction to the CRC.

Culcheth is set to benefit from a new woodland the size of five football pitches, to be planted at Ratcliffe House Farm at the eastern edge of the village.

Sustainable fuel

The new woodland will not only provide excellent habitats for wildlife, as it grows it will also come to provide a sustainable woodfuel resource for the farm house. The woodland will be harvested using a technique known as coppicing on a regular cycle every 10 to 12 years to provide a continual supply of wood for the fire, aiming to make the owners self-sufficient in woodfuel. The main species that will be planted include ash and hazel which both respond excellently to coppicing.

Funding and access

The 3.9 hectares of woodland will be part funded by the Forestry Commission's woodland creation grant, and will be publicly accessible via a proposed 370-metre permissive footpath, extending an existing Public Right of Way.

How The Mersey Forest helped make it happen

The Mersey Forest has been heavily involved in making the new woodland possible. The Mersey Forest Team liaised with the landowner throughout the development of the scheme, providing information on available grants, developing maps of the layout of the proposed planting, advising on species choice, liaising with Forestry Commission woodland officers and submitting the successful Forestry Commission grant applications on the landowners' behalf.

The development of a Forest Park for the area of nature reserves, green spaces and bird-watching locations that lie between Runcorn-Widnes bridge and Warrington has taken further strides forward with £200,000 funding secured.

Partnership working with The Mersey Forest

A successful joint application between Warrington Borough Council and Halton Borough Council to the Access to Nature fund will enable greater interaction between the communities and the nature on their doorstep.

The principle aim is to use the Mersey Estuary to encourage more people to understand, appreciate and enjoy the outdoors. The funding will be particularly targeted at engaging secondary school pupils and the over-60s.

Complementary initiatives

Other initiatives are also taking shape which will be complementary to the Forest Park. The Environment Agency is part of the partnership developing the Mersey Life project, as is Cheshire Wildlife Trust with their Living Landscapes. Consultants have been looking at the creation of a greenway along the Manchester Ship Canal and further work is on-going regarding way marking, signage and interpretation.

More than 2,000 local people have received training in how to restore the natural environment thanks to The Mersey Forest's Green Bridge project which reached completion at the start of 2009.

Over a three-year period, The Mersey Forest provided materials, advice and training costs to help local people implement projects across the Forest area that they had identified as contributing towards the restoration of natural heritage.

For example, in Cheshire West and Chester nearly 40 people got involved at Dutton Park to install 20 bird boxes and 10 bat boxes, and at The Russet School in Weaverham more than 70 people helped create new wildlife habitats for frogs, newts, hedgehogs and birds.

From an original target of 200 people trained, the Green Bridge project in fact succeeded in training 2,200 happy volunteers across a total of 161 training events.

Eight thousand trees

Over 8,000 trees were planted including new woodland areas and hedgerow, wildflower areas totaling the size of a football pitch were created, and four ponds were created or restored. These were just some of the highlights achieved from a £25,000 grant secured by The Mersey Forest from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Additional match funds of £22,000 were provided through volunteer in kind time and other sources.

'How to' guides for the whole community

An exciting legacy of the project has been the production of a range of habitat guidance leaflets for communities in The Mersey Forest area on topics identified by Green Bridge volunteers including planting and caring for trees, creating ponds and planting hedgerows.

May's 'Walk in the Woods' month in The Mersey Forest brought together over 60 guided woodland walks taking place across the region to encourage residents to get out and enjoy the many benefits of green exercise.

The Mersey Forest's dedicated mini-website promoting the range of guided walks on offer was named Digital Campaign of the Week by the national Third Sector magazine, and linked in with key local initiatives including health walk groups and Liverpool's Challenge, the campaign to help residents lose one million pounds of weight.

The month of guided walks - from an ascent of the highest point in Merseyside, Billinge Hill, to wildlife-focused dawn chorus walks - formed part of the national Walk in the Woods campaign, coordinated by The Tree Council.

The walks in The Mersey Forest area were organised by a wide range of partners including the Forest's seven local authorities, the Forestry Commission, local Primary Care Trusts, the National Wildflower Centre, Frodsham Town Council, Cheshire Wildlife Trust and local community groups.

The importance of getting people to use their green spaces for exercise is well documented. Research shows that as well as being beneficial for our mental health, green spaces can help reduce the 'health gap' between rich and poor, with a particularly strong impact on reducing heart disease and strokes.